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."
