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NEWS ITEM: Outgoing Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on March 20 warned his Ukrainian counterpart, Viktor Yanukovych, that failure to join the Customs Union created by Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan will be followed by “certain difficulties.” Ukraine started feeling such difficulties earlier this year when Russia banned Ukrainian cheese imports. Russia dominates the union and has long tried to lure Ukraine deeper into it's sphere of influence. It has promised free trade and lower prices for Russian natural gas imports.