Lawmakers in Russia have drafted a bill proposing bans on the imports of certain US products and services to the country and restrictions on trade with the United States to retaliate new US sanctions on Moscow.
The Russian legislators said on Friday that the draft law called for a ban on cooperation with the US on atomic power, rocket engines, and aircraft manufacturing and prohibited American firms from taking part in Russian privatization projects.
The proposed legislation, which will be discussed in the lower house of the Russian parliament next week, further calls for restricting US imports of computer software, farm produce, medical drugs that can be obtained from elsewhere, tobacco, and liquor.
According to Russia’s official customs data, the country imported $12.5 billion worth of American goods only in 2017, including aircraft, machinery, pharmaceutical, and chemical products.
Major US corporations such as Ford Motor Co, PepsiCo Inc. and Coca-Cola’s bottler Coca-Cola HBC, have also invested billions of dollars in Russia since the fall of the former Soviet Union.
Moscow banned a wide range of food imports to Russia from Western countries in 2014, retaliating against US-led sanctions over the Ukraine conflict, with which Russia says it has nothing to do.
The proposed measures by Russian legislators are in response to the White House announcement last week to impose the toughest set of sanctions against Russia since Crimea decided to join Russia in a referendum in 2014.