New Russian tariffs on wood exports breach the terms of its proposed entry to the World Trade Organisation and reveal it is not yet capable of “joining the market economy family”, according to Ewa Björling, Sweden’s trade minister.

Russia doubled tariffs on wood exports to $15 per cubic metre on April 1 and plans to increase them to $50 next year despite agreeing a standstill agreement with the EU as part of its negotiations over WTO membership.