Russia's environment minister has warned of a ban on timber exports to China but the trade minister does not agree. Trade miner Denis Manturov criticized Environment Minister Dmitrij Kobjlkin's remarks about a possible ban on Russian timber exports to China. Last week, the environment minister left the threat hanging in case China did not support Russia's efforts to limit illegal deforestation along the shared border. 

Reply by the Minister of Trade: "China is Russia's main economic partner and we want to expand trade, and any restrictions on exports and imports, including log trade, would not be ideal in this context", adding that the WTO does not allow the unilateral exclusion of a country, and an embargo could lead to Chinese retaliation.