Moscow Bans Ukrainian Juice as Trade War Escalates

Russia's consumer watchdog has banned imports of Ukrainian juice after the European Union and the United States agreed to impose fresh economic sanctions against Moscow.

Rospotrebnadzor said imports of juice from Ukraine were suspended on July 29, saying the goods had not been registered properly by the state.

Moscow has banned a raft of goods in recent months as Russia has become involved in a diplomatic tussle with the West over Ukraine.

Russia's consumer protection agency has already banned Ukrainian chocolate and other dairy products this year, while the McDonald's Filet-o-Fish and Cheeseburger could also face a ban as Moscow reacts to American sanctions. The latest casualty in an increasingly bitter trade war is Polish fruit, which was banned this week.

Poland has been among Russia's harshest critics at the EU, calling for tough economic penalties against Moscow over its behaviour in Ukraine.

New sanctions targeting Russian banking, arms and oil industries, as well as sensitive technologies were agreed by the 28-member bloc on Tuesday. The US announced it would impose tighter sanctions on Russia's finance, energy and defence sectors.

Leaders from the US and the EU have accused Moscow of backing the separatist rebellion in eastern Ukraine, and that that Malaysia passenger airliner MH17 was shot down by rebels using a Russian-supplied anti-aircraft missile.

American leaders have threatened to impose tougher sanctions against Moscow if Russia's President Vladimir Putin does not take steps to defuse the crisis in Ukraine.

A senior Washington official told reporters that the latest sanctions would have a significant effect on Putin's behaviour over Ukraine.

"We will certainly want the impact of these sanctions to sink in and to test Russia's willingness and capacity to take the path of deescalation," the official said.

"We always have additional sanctions available to us, but I think this a very significant step that you've heard us describe as the United States and Europe moving into sectoral sanctions together."