Russian President Vladimir Putin answers questions from the press after his annual live call-in session in Moscow, Russia, June 20, 2019. (Xinhua/Evgeny Sinitsyn)

MOSCOW, June 24 (Xinhua) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday signed a decree to extend measures countering Western economic sanctions for another year to the end of 2020.

The decree was published on the official legal information website.

Russia has since 2014 introduced a set of counter-sanctions, banning imports of certain commodities, primarily food items, from the European Union and countries including the United States, Norway, Australia, and Canada.

In 2015, Russia added Albania, Montenegro, Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Ukraine to the list.

These were made in response to sanctions imposed by these countries on Russia over the Crimea issue and Moscow's alleged involvement in the conflict in southeastern Ukraine.

The current set of counter-sanctions was due to expire on Dec. 31, 2019.