Russia Strikes Back With Planned Embargoes of EU Goods, Estonian Officials Unfazed
Estonian Agriculture Minister Ivari Padar said bans on some foreign imports announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin Wednesday were nothing Estonia hadn't seen before, while Foreign Minister Urmas Paet said the sanctions would hurt Russian consumers the most.
Padar told Postimees daily it was too early to know what the announcement would mean. "It's a statement by the Russian president, and we've yet to parse the actual meaning. Yet we have been tempered by all sorts of Russian policies, be they restrictions on pork or a list of Estonian companies being left out of being able to export to Russia," he said.
The Estonian dairy sector would likely be hardest hit, Padar said.
In a piece for Eesti Päevaleht, Paet similarly said it was too early to say anything before a list of affected products and sectors was released. "No doubt Russia, by this decision, is trying to bolster its agricultural sector and find new politically suitable partners, but all that will take much time to succeed."
"But by restricting import from the West, Russia will inevitably make concessions in quality and price," he wrote.