Russia hits West with food import ban in sanctions row

[Farnhamia]

You said he's using this to threaten something more in the future. I want to know what you think he's threatening next.

That is the thing i don't know.

He can be a very unpredictable man at times.

He could ban anything and everything in honesty.

As long as i can keep buying my Vodka.

He's not stopping exports from Russia. Anyway, other people than the Russians make quite good vodkas.

[Zatak]

That is the thing i don't know.

He can be a very unpredictable man at times.

He could ban anything and everything in honesty.

As long as i can keep buying my Vodka.

He's not stopping exports from Russia. Anyway, other people than the Russians make quite good vodkas.

I know this one guy in Vancouver who makes it really well.

[Draica]

And help me understand, because my brain is a bit messed up, by food imports does that mean we send food to THEM or they send it to us, because if we sent food to them I'm positive that'd be an export, and vice versa if they sent stuff to us.

[Upper America]

And help me understand, because my brain is a bit messed up, by food imports does that mean we send food to THEM or they send it to us, because if we sent food to them I'm positive that'd be an export, and vice versa if they sent stuff to us.

I think the article says he's not accepting food from the western countries. And I don't know how much he's harming us, because I don't know how much of our economy revolves around exporting to Russia. I don't think it's much, either.

[Farnhamia]

And help me understand, because my brain is a bit messed up, by food imports does that mean we send food to THEM or they send it to us, because if we sent food to them I'm positive that'd be an export, and vice versa if they sent stuff to us.

I think the article says he's not accepting food from the western countries. And I don't know how much he's harming us, because I don't know how much of our economy revolves around exporting to Russia. I don't think it's much, either.

According to the article in the OP, US food sales to Russia amount to about $1.3 billion. The US exports about $115 billion in agricultural products annually. I don't know what the EU's numbers are.

[Risottia]

>Doesn't Get his Way
>Starves His Own People

Wait what?

Well, it's exactly what the Ukrainian gov't is doing with the siege of Donetsk. Plus the artillery bombarding it, ofc.

[Farnhamia]

>Doesn't Get his Way
>Starves His Own People

Wait what?

Well, it's exactly what the Ukrainian gov't is doing with the siege of Donetsk. Plus the artillery bombarding it, ofc.

I didn't realize you approved of the rebellion in eastern Ukraine, Riso. All Putin has to do is tell the separatists to lay down their arms and the siege would be over. They would listen to him, I imagine.

[Condunum]

I'd say that this is more of a warning. Though, Putin did kind of shoot himself in the foot.

...if he were the head of a country like Iran or NK, he'd already be ridiculed, but since it's Mother Russia...yyyyeah.

Uncle Vlad is still trying to put up a "Tough on the West" image for the home constituency.

There is only one Uncle Vlad, and his last name is not Putin.

[Risottia]

According to the article in the OP, US food sales to Russia amount to about $1.3 billion. The US exports about $115 billion in agricultural products annually. I don't know what the EU's numbers are.

http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/trade-a ... 4-1_en.pdf

(excerpts)

Russia, a net importer of agricultural products, saw the gap between imports and exports stretch up to 20 billion in 2013 , mainly due to
reduced agricultural exports (-12% to €8.4 billion) , although agricultural imports were also slightly down (-1.4% to €28 billion) .
In 2013, Russia’s top destination for agricultural exports became the EU (19%), leaving Turkey second (15%)

The EU and Russia: EU export growth continues to slow down but so do imports
The EU - the biggest supplier of agricultural products to Russia - slightly increased its share in Russian imports to 42% in 2013 (far
ahead of Brazil with 7.8%) . Russia is the second biggest export market for EU with 10% of total food exports. However , although
EU's food exports to Russia continue to grow, the speed is slowing down . In 2013 , exports in value went up by 4.3%, compared to
9% and 14% in the preceding years. Yet, EU export gains in Russia were € 0.5 billion, higher than the additional € 0.3 billion increase
in the US. The agricultural trade balance with Russia , which is largely positive, continued to increase and reached €10.2 billion, up from €9.5 billion in 2012.

[Valrico]

"Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev"
Should be "Ultimate Dictator Vladimir Putin"

[Sdaeriji]

And help me understand, because my brain is a bit messed up, by food imports does that mean we send food to THEM or they send it to us, because if we sent food to them I'm positive that'd be an export, and vice versa if they sent stuff to us.

He's banning food imports from countries that have leveled sanctions against Russia. That is to say, Russia will not import food from those countries. To us they'd be exports.

[Risottia]

Well, it's exactly what the Ukrainian gov't is doing with the siege of Donetsk. Plus the artillery bombarding it, ofc.

I didn't realize you approved of the rebellion in eastern Ukraine, Riso.

I don't approve of violence against civilians, neither the one coming from the separatists nor the one coming from the unionists. You can't deny civilians on BOTH sides have been the prime victims of the Ukrainian crisis.

[Ifreann]

And help me understand, because my brain is a bit messed up, by food imports does that mean we send food to THEM or they send it to us, because if we sent food to them I'm positive that'd be an export, and vice versa if they sent stuff to us.

Russia has banned the importing of food from Europe and the US. That means that Europe and the US can't export food to Russia.

See also: immigrant/emigrant.

[The Serbian Empire]

"Russia, since you're a dick, we're going to sanction some of your companies and your dear leader's quasi-mafioso friends".

"Oh, yeah? Then...I'm going to stop buying food from you!".

Everyone knows how important the agricultural sector is for the American and the European economies. After all, both are backwards third world countries. My advice: just don't hurt yourself, Russia.

Actually, the American and EU agricultural sectors are the largest in the world iirc. Russia probably just making a threat to prevent more crippling sanctions, like a "See what we ban next time, and you may regret it".

That is to cut off the EU's gas.

[Imperializt Russia]

BEWARE INSTA-DOWNLOAD
According to this Scottish assessment, the Russian food market has exploded over the last decade or so, increasing in value by almost an order of magnitude. In 2010, it was appraised as $263-275bn US, from ~$35bn US in 1999. In 2009, it was appraised at $223-243bn US, and the year before at $187-261bn US - in other words, it tripled between 1999 and 2004, and then doubled between 2005 and 2008, and looked likely to have done so again from 2009-2012
http://www.sdi.co.uk/~/media/SDI/Files/ ... tation.pdf

Thirteen billion dollars of imports cut off, while significant, will likely not be "crippling" to Russia.

[Geanna]

Source?

And your opinion OP?

Anyway, Ol' Vladdy is harming his own economy this way, most of the Russian market relies on import.

Uncle Puty probably expects China, Iran and other kids from the Unpopular Crowd to pick up the slack.

Except when Gazprom was considering cutting all oil exports to Europe, China shut them down on any kind of deal. I think China would rather open up and expand its trade with the US, and by being the next biggest buyer for Gazprom, would've upset the Americans. Was quite a humiliating gesture to Russia, because they seemed so sure that they could garner a deal with the Chinese.

Either way, Russia's hurting themselves more on this issue.

[Farnhamia]

BEWARE INSTA-DOWNLOAD
According to this Scottish assessment, the Russian food market has exploded over the last decade or so, increasing in value by almost an order of magnitude. In 2010, it was appraised as $263-275bn US, from ~$35bn US in 1999. In 2009, it was appraised at $223-243bn US, and the year before at $187-261bn US - in other words, it tripled between 1999 and 2004, and then doubled between 2005 and 2008, and looked likely to have done so again from 2009-2012
http://www.sdi.co.uk/~/media/SDI/Files/ ... tation.pdf

Thirteen billion dollars of imports cut off, while significant, will likely not be "crippling" to Russia.

No, nor will the loss of $1.3 billion out of $115 billion in agricultural exports hurt the US much.

[Upper America]

I think the article says he's not accepting food from the western countries. And I don't know how much he's harming us, because I don't know how much of our economy revolves around exporting to Russia. I don't think it's much, either.

According to the article in the OP, US food sales to Russia amount to about $1.3 billion. The US exports about $115 billion in agricultural products annually. I don't know what the EU's numbers are.

I'm pretty sure we'll just find someone else to export to, like the EU. Russia's threatened to take away so much stuff from the EU, but doesn't seem to realize that we can just fill that gap.

[Imperializt Russia]

BEWARE INSTA-DOWNLOAD
According to this Scottish assessment, the Russian food market has exploded over the last decade or so, increasing in value by almost an order of magnitude. In 2010, it was appraised as $263-275bn US, from ~$35bn US in 1999. In 2009, it was appraised at $223-243bn US, and the year before at $187-261bn US - in other words, it tripled between 1999 and 2004, and then doubled between 2005 and 2008, and looked likely to have done so again from 2009-2012
http://www.sdi.co.uk/~/media/SDI/Files/ ... tation.pdf

Thirteen billion dollars of imports cut off, while significant, will likely not be "crippling" to Russia.

No, nor will the loss of $1.3 billion out of $115 billion in agricultural exports hurt the US much.

I don't think it's intended to particularly hurt anyone.
It's a political measure to remind people in the west (and possibly, Russia itself) that Russia can into sanction.

[Geanna]

No, nor will the loss of $1.3 billion out of $115 billion in agricultural exports hurt the US much.

I don't think it's intended to particularly hurt anyone.
It's a political measure to remind people in the west (and possibly, Russia itself) that Russia can into sanction.

That's really all it is, it's a gesture.

[Geanna]

And help me understand, because my brain is a bit messed up, by food imports does that mean we send food to THEM or they send it to us, because if we sent food to them I'm positive that'd be an export, and vice versa if they sent stuff to us.

Depends on who we're discussing here as the subject, since not everyone on this site or in the world is American. The question however; They've cut off the US and EU from giving them food.

[Bulgar Rouge]

There's plenty of other suppliers so...

[Imperializt Russia]

I don't think it's intended to particularly hurt anyone.
It's a political measure to remind people in the west (and possibly, Russia itself) that Russia can into sanction.

That's really all it is, it's a gesture.

So are the sanctions the west has so far introduced. The US is pressuring the EU to in turn pressure Russia more, but we're apparently unwilling.

[Kelmet]

Its all fun and games until Russia stops exporting oil and Natural gas to the EU, then

[Farnhamia]

Its all fun and games until Russia stops exporting oil and Natural gas to the EU, then

Then I'm buy lots of shares in US oil companies.