MOSCOW - Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said on Thursday that Russia is imposing a ban on food imports from the European Union (EU) and the United States in retaliation for their sanctions against Moscow over the Ukraine crisis.

The Russian government imposed a one-year ban on imports of beef, pork, poultry, fish, cheeses, fruit, vegetables and dairy products from Australia, Canada, the EU, the United States and Norway, the Itar-Tass news agency quoted Medvedev as saying.

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed on Wednesday a decree banning or limiting the imports of agricultural products from countries that imposed sanctions on Moscow.