Ukraine is responding to Moscow's food embargo with "mirror sanctions" of its own that will take effect on January 1, Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk announced Thursday.

"The cabinet of ministers will introduce similar restrictive measures against the Russian Federation. We will protect Ukraine's domestic market," Yatsenyuk said in a speech in parliament.

A bill giving the government the right to impose trade sanctions against Russia was backed by lawmakers Thursday with 291 deputies in favour.

It is a counter-move to Moscow's announcement Monday of a food embargo against Ukraine starting next month over Kiev's trade deal with the EU. The Moscow embargo will extend to Ukraine punitive measures already in place against Western countries.

A free trade deal between Ukraine and the European Union is set to go into effect January 1 as part of a broader agreement that helped spark the current crisis between Kiev and the West on one side, and Moscow on the other.

Russia has repeatedly expressed concern that Ukraine's free trade agreement with Brussels may flood its market with European goods, and months of three-way talks with the EU to smooth the transition have yielded no results.
Source: AFP