The News Minute| August 19, 2014| 10.30 pm IST

Ban in public and trade in private is what many nations of the European Union (EU) are doing to circumvent their own ban on food exports to Russia. 

A Swiss official at the department of agriculture has told reporters the country has received requests from many nations to offer its good-offices as a third country to continue uninterrupted food trade with Russia, currently facing the ire of a handful of western nations following its action in Ukraine. 

Earlier this month, the EU, Canada, Norway and Australia slapped a ban on exports to Russia excluding baby foods. Russian President Vladimir Putin responded by threatening to block the airspace over his country in what was widely seen as an escalation of tensions between Russia and selected western countries. 

Putin said he would source his foods and other good from South America but according to report in the Russian broadsheet Izvestia reproduced here, many nations have privately sourced their products through Switzerland which is not an EU member.