Russia's countermeasures against western sanctions are on track to continue after their August deadline, provided President Vladimir Putin takes heed of his government's recommendations.

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev

Yesterday, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev ordered deputy premier Sergey Prikhodko to prepare an extension request to Putin for "this period", news outlet TASS reported.

The story reported the government would prepare a draft government decree listing goods targeted by the sanctions, which currently include fruit, vegetables, dairy and meat products from the EU, Norway, Canada, the U.S. and Australia.

"I ask you to prepare my request to the president with a proposal to extend the presidential decree for this period on the introduction of restrictive measures by Russia," Medvedev was quoted as saying.

The European Council said the sanctions on Russia would continue until Jan. 31, 2016, linking their duration to the completion of the Minsk Agreement for scaling down conflict in the Ukraine.

"These restrictive measures were imposed in July 2014 and reinforced in September 2014. They target certain exchanges with Russia in the financial, energy and defence sectors and dual-use goods," the council said in a release.

Photo: Government.ru

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