Ukraine Cabinet Asks Parliament for Permission to Sanction Russia

The Ukrainian government asked the Verkhovna Rada to endorse imposing sanctions on Russia.

KIEV (Sputnik) — Ukraine's cabinet has asked the parliament for permission to impose sanctions against Russia in response to Moscow's food import embargo and suspension of a free trade zone between the countries, according to a draft law published Wednesday.

"Additional measures that can be introduced in response are a ban or restrictions on foreign trade operations, the abolition of tariff preferences," the document reads.

An explanatory note to the document states that Russia’s response measures coinciding with Ukraine’s January 1 free trade zone agreement with the European Union "pose the threat of harm" to national economic security.

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev signed a directive on Monday to impose economic measures against Ukraine, including agricultural goods and raw material imports, as of January 1.

Last week, President Vladimir Putin signed a decree suspending Russia’s implementation of the Commonwealth of Independent States free trade deal with Ukraine effective January 1, 2016. An economic component of the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement, known as the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area, comes into effect on the same date.

The lower house of Russian parliament adopted it into law on Tuesday, and the upper house is scheduled to review the document on Friday.