Medvedev warns Europe against stricter sanctions

Russian prime minister Medvedev warned Europe that tightening the sanctions will be repaid by Russia in kind. Earlier this week, the first reefer entered the port of St. Petersburg, directly from South Africa. This season, reefers should follow every week. Chilean plums are 20 percent cheaper in St. Petersburg and Moscow than a week earlier. EU member state Slovakia is seeking a partnership with Russia in terms of nuclear power. Ukraine, on the other hand, wants to nationalize Russian property to compensate for the annexation of Crimea. Chinese firm Alibaba is opening an office in Russia, a big market for the internet giant.

Talking to Russian media, prime minister Medvedev warned against a counter reaction, should Europe tighten the sanction regime. "Our EU partners will meet in July take a number of decisions. If it's decided that new sanctions against Russia will be introduced, we will repay in kind. If they don't take that decision, we'll stick to our current position," the prime minister said. Earlier, deputy prime minister Dvorkovich said: "If the sanctions aren't lifted, the boycott isn't lifted either. We have no reason to do so."

At the beginning of this month, the first reefer with South African fruit entered the port of St. Petersburg. It's the first time this season for a reefer to sail directly from South Africa to Russia. On board were 4000 tonnes of fruit, including apples, pears and citrus. Shipping company Reefer Alliance (Baltic Shipping and Seatrade) will bring fruit from South Africa into the port of St. Petersburg every week until November.

The price for Chilean plums has decreased by 20 percent compared to the previous week. The plums cost between 180 and 185 roubles (3.58-3.68 dollars) per kilo. A week earlier, the stonefruit yielded 225 to 230 roubles (4.47-4.57 dollars) per kilo. In St. Petersburg, a similar trend is noticeable, although the plums are cheaper there, at 142 to 147 roubles (2.82-2.92 dollars) per kilo.

Slovakia seeks rapprochement with Russia in terms of nuclear power. The Slovakian prime minister visited Russia earlier this week. The governments spoke about subjects including cooperation in terms of recycling nuclear waste.

The Ukrainian secretary of state for Justice announced that the country is considering nationalizing Russian property. The decision is awaiting approval by the European Court of Human Rights. The country is thus responding to the annexation of Crimea and the nationalization of Ukrainian companies and gas fields on the peninsula. According to Kiev, the country misses out on 47 billion dollars due to the annexation.

Trade Russia and Peru increased
Trade between Russia and Peru is on the up. Last year, once again more trade was conducted between the countries, 548.8 million dollars' worth, a 9 percent increase. Of the total, Russian export accounts for the largest share, 438.9 million dollars. The remaining 109.9 million dollars consists of Peruvian export. Most of the Peruvian export consists of fruit and nuts, accounting for 55.4 percent.

Alibaba to Russia
Chinese internet giant Alibaba has opened an office in Russia in order to operate closer to this market. AliExpress, one of the internet shops under Alibaba, is popular in Russia, having a monthly customer base of 15.6 million people. Competitors Amazon and eBay have to make do with 3.7 million and 1.4 million customers a month. Over the financial year, closed on March 31, 2015, Alibaba achieved a revenue of 12.2 billion dollars and a profit of 3.9 billion dollars.

Russian company Black Earth Farming, in the hands of a Swedish investor, considers buying a seedling company from Kaliningrad, FruitNews reports. The company imported a lot of seedlings from Poland, but that's no longer possible due to the boycott. The company says it has ambitions to increase the production in this region to between 1500 and 2000 hectares.

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