According to the document, the government is empowered to introduce on the basis of the Russian president’s decision various countermeasures, provided they do not apply to vital goods not manufactured in Russia and other countries. Corresponding decisions may also be made by the President on the basis of proposals from the Security Council. The government will cancel the counter-measures if the circumstances serving as the reason to introduce them are eliminated.

MOSCOW, June 4. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin signed the law on countermeasures against unfriendly actions of the United States and other foreign countries. The document passed by the State Duma on May 22 and approved by the Federation Council on May 30 was posted on the official Internet portal of legal information.

The bill was proposed by a group of lower house members led by State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin, on April 13 and adopted in the third reading on May 22. It had sparked lively debate and some of its provisions drew strong criticism. Between the first and second readings the bill underwent considerable amendments.

The names of specific branches of the economy, goods and services were removed from the bill and the list of possible counter-measures was reduced. Companies from the United States and other unfriendly countries will be prohibited from participating in state purchase contracts and privatization of public assets.

The Cabinet of Ministers is empowered to terminate or suspend international cooperation with unfriendly countries and organizations under their control.

Also, the Russian government can prohibit or restrict export-import operations with the United States and other unfriendly countries. The counter-measures against Russian sanctions do not apply to goods that Russian or foreign nationals may bring into the country for personal use.

The law will take effect from its promulgation.</s>MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin signed the law on countermeasures against unfriendly actions of the United States and other foreign countries. The document passed by the State Duma on May 22 and approved by the Federation Council on May 30 was posted on the official Internet portal of legal information.

According to the document, the government is empowered to introduce on the basis of the Russian president’s decision various countermeasures, provided they do not apply to vital goods not manufactured in Russia and other countries. Corresponding decisions may also be made by the president on the basis of proposals from the Security Council.

The government will cancel the counter-measures if the circumstances serving as the reason to introduce them are eliminated.The bill was proposed by a group of lower house members led by State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin, on April 13 and adopted in the third reading on May 22.</s>Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed into law a bill that provides for countermeasures against the United States and other countries that imposed sanctions against Russia.

The law was signed on June 4 and posted on an official government legislative-information website the same day.

The legislation gives the government the authority to ban trade in most goods and services with countries that "implement unfriendly moves toward Russia."

Under the bill, the decision about what products or services were affected by the restrictions would be made by the government following a decision by Putin to impose restrictions against a country.

The legislation is seen as an effort by Moscow to respond to the asset freezes and financial restrictions on Russian officials, tycoons, and companies associated with Putin imposed by the U.S. government in April.

Those sanctions, the latest in a series of measures taken by the United States, the European Union, and other countries since Russia seized Crimea and began backing armed separatists in eastern Ukraine in 2014, were meant to punish Moscow for alleged interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election and other "malign activity around the globe."</s>Alwaght-Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a law stipulating implementation of counter-sanctions against the US and its allies.

The legislation is to be applied to any state or person for “hostile actions” against Russia. It allows Russian authorities to cut international cooperation with foreign states, and to impose import and export restrictions among other countermeasures. Trade embargos will not extend to certain goods, however, that are imported by Russian citizens for personal use.

Contrary to public fears, the countersanctions do not apply to imported essential items, for which no replacements are produced in Russia or other countries.

The bill aimed at defending “economic interests and security” was drafted by State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin and the heads of all four parliamentary caucuses in mid-April. It was approved by Russian lawmakers by the end of May. The move came in retaliation to Washington’s economic penalties against Moscow.

In early April, the US Treasury included 24 Russians, including high-profile politicians, and 14 corporations on a sanctions list relating to alleged “malign activity around the globe.” The move has been repeatedly condemned by Russian authorities, with Moscow immediately promising to retaliate.

In its latest review of Russia, US-based ratings agency Moody’s said that the country’s strong public and external finances would shield its economy from the impact of the latest US sanctions.</s>MOSCOW, June 4 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday signed into law counter-sanctions legislation that was drawn up by lawmakers in response to U.S. sanctions imposed on Russia in April.

The legislation gives the president, among other things, the power to sever ties with unfriendly countries, and to ban trade of goods with those countries. (Reporting by Andrey Ostroukh Writing by Tom Balmforth; Editing by Toby Chopra)</s>MOSCOW - Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday signed into law counter-sanctions legislation that was drawn up by lawmakers in response to U.S. sanctions imposed on Russia in April.



The legislation gives the president, among other things, the power to sever ties with unfriendly countries, and to ban trade of goods with those countries.</s>Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday signed into law counter-sanctions legislation that was drawn up by lawmakers in response to U.S. sanctions imposed on Russia in April.

MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday signed into law counter-sanctions legislation that was drawn up by lawmakers in response to U.S. sanctions imposed on Russia in April.

The legislation gives the president, among other things, the power to sever ties with unfriendly countries, and to ban trade of goods with those countries.

However, it has been watered down since it was first conceived by lawmakers in response to the new round of U.S. sanctions on Russian businesses.

Lawmakers initially proposed large-scale restrictions on U.S. goods and services, ranging from food and alcohol to medicine and consulting services.

The law was one of two items of legislation. In the second, lawmakers debated making it a crime punishable by jail for a Russian citizen to comply with the U.S. sanctions.

Russian and foreign business lobbies had said any such law would effectively force firms to choose between doing business with Russia and having dealings with the rest of the world.

Last month Putin said any retaliation against western sanctions must not hurt the Russian economy or partners that do business in Russia.</s>The law enters into force on the day it is published.

The bill was passed by the Russian Lower House in May. The goal of the legislation is to defend Russia's sovereignty from "unfriendly actions" by Washington and other foreign states that have imposed political and economic sanctions on Moscow.

On April 6, Washington unveiled new sanctions on Russia over what it described as "global destabilization efforts." The sanctions list included senior government officials, and lawmakers, as well as major business owners and private and state-owned companies under their control.

In response, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said that Moscow reserves the right to respond to the new US anti-Russia sanctions and may review trade deals.

The Russian Embassy in the United States said that the new package of sanctions is another hit to bilateral relations, adding that the sanctions will hurt thousands of Russian citizens who are part of the businesses that were targeted.</s>Moscow: Russian President Vladimir Putin ridiculed the U.S. indictment of 13 Russians in a television interview broadcast Monday, scoffing at the notion that a person described as his chef could interfere with a U.S. presidential election.

Special counsel Robert Mueller in February charged Yevgeny Prigozhin, a wealthy businessman dubbed "Putin's chef," and 12 others in an alleged conspiracy to meddle in the 2016 election.

Putin dismissed the charges as "ridiculous" during an interview with Austrian public broadcaster ORF broadcast late Monday.

"How low the Western information and political environment has fallen if a restaurateur from Russia could influence elections in the United States or a European country," the Russia leader said.

The 13 people indicted are accused of an elaborate plot to disrupt the U.S. election that allegedly included running a huge social media campaign from their headquarters in St. Petersburg, dubbed the "'troll farm."

Prigozhin has been dubbed "Putin's chef" by Russian media because his restaurants and catering businesses have hosted the Kremlin leader's dinners with foreign dignitaries.

Putin told ORF that the Russian government has no connection to Prigozhin's activities. When pressed further, he pointed to Hungarian-American financier and philanthropist George Soros, alleging that Soros meddles in the affairs of various nations while "our American friends often tell me that America has nothing to do with it."

"Ask the (U.S.) Department of State why he does it," Putin said. "The Department of State would tell you that it has no relation to that, it's Mr. Soros' private business. Well, here it's Mr. Prigozhin's private business."

Asked about his interactions with U.S. President Donald Trump, Putin said political infighting in Washington was hampering their contacts.

In a phone call to Putin in March, Trump proposed their holding a summit. U.S. and Russian officials haven't discussed specifics yet.

"In my view, it's a result of the acute political struggle continuing in the U.S.," Putin said.

He emphasized that his meeting with Trump would be important as an opportunity to discuss arms control and preventing a new arms race.</s>The White House is planning a summit between United States President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. According to the Wall Street Journal, though the planned summit is in its early stages, US ambassador to Russia Jon Huntsman is helping to prepare for the meeting between Trump and Putin. “This has been an ongoing project of Ambassador Huntsman, stretching back months, of getting a formal meeting between Putin and Trump,” said a senior administration official. If the summit does go ahead, it would be the third time that both the leaders would meet face-to-face.

Putin and Trump first met during the G20 summit in Germany’s Hamburg in July last year and again met for the second time in Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Vietnam in November last year. Earlier in March this year, the two leaders held a telephonic conversation, where Trump had invited Putin to visit Washington D.C. It is to be noted that relations between US and Russia are greatly strained due to the crisis in Ukraine, Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2015, differences regarding Russian military intervention in the Syrian civil war, and the alleged meddling of 2016 US presidential election.

Washington D.C. has repeatedly condemned Moscow’s actions in Ukraine and imposed sanctions over the same since 2014. The US has also strongly condemned Russia’s support to embattled Syrian President Bashar-al Assad. Relations between the former Cold War powers plunged to a new low in March this year, when the US and other countries expelled Russian diplomats from their respective nations in response to the poisoning of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia with a military-grade nerve agent called Novichok at their home in Salisbury, England. Moscow denied any wrongdoing over the same and has slammed Washington D.C. for “orchestrating a blackmail campaign” against the poisoning attack.
Russian President Vladimir Putin signs a law – voted by the State Duma on 22 May and approved by the State Council on 30 May – with countermeasures against actions of the United States and other "unfriendly" countries.