FX.co ★ To gain Ukraine by hook or by crook

Russia is trying to use every trick in the book in order to get new members to the Customs Union. While Kazakhstan and Belarus joined it unequivocally, long-term negotiations on Ukraine's membership have not produced any results. Now, to show Ukraine all the “advantages” of entering the union, Russia's customs officers started large-scale and detailed checks on the country's imports. Such scrupulous examinations triggered a huge traffic jam at the Russian-Ukrainian border. More than 1,000 trucks carrying food, which, so to speak, is getting spoiled, are stuck waiting for their turn, and about 450 vehicles are on their way. The Federation of Employers of Ukraine has already warned that the delay may reflect in goods value. Head of the State Duma Committee on CIS Affairs Leonid Slutsky commented on situation hinting at the reason for the customs conflict and possible way of its resolution. “To sort out problems with the importation of goods into Russia is difficult, but I’m sure they would be resolved if Ukraine were part of the Customs Union,” Slutsky said. “Unfortunately, Ukraine is not a member of the Customs Union.” It is worthy of note that such an action is not the first one. Last month head of Rospotrebnadzor (the Federal Service for Supervision of Consumer Rights Protection and Human Well-Being) Gennadiy Onishchenko forbade imports of Roshen, one of the largest Ukrainian confectionery corporation.