Is Russia planning to lift sanctions from the West?

Russia may lift the sanctions against the West, the First Russian Deputy Prime Minister, Igor Shuvalov, said in the framework of the Gaidar Forum.

"Perhaps it is time to understand that the sanctions or counter sanctions will cease to have effect soon. Anyway, in my work as a Minister of Agriculture and a Minister of Economy, I should proceed from the fact that the counter sanctions will be lifted," Gazeta.ru cited him as saying.

According to the Deputy Prime Minister, the financial and economic bloc of the government and governors should maximize the benefits for the Russian economy.

In addition, Shuvalov noted that the counter sanctions have significantly changed the landscape of the production of certain types of raw materials, food processing and distribution through retail chains.

The assistant head of Rosselkhoznadzor, Alexey Alexeyenko, speaking with a correspondent of Vestnik Kavkaza, noted that the abolition of the food embargo will not have a negative effect on the Russian agricultural sector.

"You have to understand that even in the case of the abolition of the sanctions in a single step, supplies from those companies, which used to sell products to Russia, will not be resumed immediately. After the abolition of the embargo we must check all of these companies and, therefore, we will have to re-build our relations with colleagues from the countries-suppliers. It will take considerable time, therefore, there will be no a dramatic effect on agriculture," he explained.

Alexeyenko also does not expect a significant impact of the embargo on food prices. "The fact is that the imported products are quite expensive, considering the current exchange rate of the ruble against major foreign currencies. If our business resumes food deliveries from the West, then only on the price categories acceptable for Russia today," the assistant head of Rosselkhoznadzor warned.