You're reading: Ukraine-Russia ‘cheese war’ cooling down

Russia has agreed to reopen its borders to some Ukrainian cheese imports after a two-month ban, provided that the producers have been checked and cleared by authorities, Reuters news agency reported late on April 17.

Russian state consumer watchdog Rospotrebnadzor barred imports of cheese from seven Ukrainian producers in February after accusing them of using excessive quantities of palm oil, a cheap substitute for milk. Ukraine claimed the move was politically motivated and a result of lobbying from Russian dairy producers.

This dispute became known as a “cheese war,” and is just one episode in a string of bilateral trade disagreements, the most notable of which is the ongoing haggle over natural gas prices.

On April 17, Ukrainian Economy Minister Petro Poroshenko and Rospotrebnadzor head Gennady Onishchenko announced on Ukrainian television that imports into Russia of cheese from three Ukrainian producers would be immediately permitted while talks on others would continue.

Onishchenko said that the three factories account for 60 percent of Ukraine’s export to Russia. Poroshenko said that cheese export accounted for a fifth of total exports of agricultural products from Ukraine. Both sides reportedly agreed to continue working towards establishing uniform cheese production standards.

“We have agreed that these businesses have been checked and that we will provide guarantees that the plan has been implemented,” Interfax news agency quoted Poroshenko as saying.