FIRST BRICS BANK, NOW BRICS FOOD BANK (Source Zero Hedge)Despite President Obama’s dictating that Russia is increasingly “isolated,” it appears they have found a whole new set of friends to play with in the global trade sandpit. In retaliation to Western sanctions, Putin yesterday unveiled a total food import ban from all sanctioning nations, and, just as the BRICS created their own ‘IMF-lite’ away from Washington’s prying eyes, Russia plans to substitute banned goods with not just domestic supplies but imports from Latin America, China, and several other nations. Agriculture Minister Nikolai Fedorov said “no food shortages are expected,” but more isolation for the West. Russia is already turning away trucks at the border and cancelling orders (as FruitNet reports) Catalan producer association Afrucat is urging its members not to send lorries to Russia until the situation regarding the ban on EU imports has been fully clarified, following reports that trucks laden with fruits and vegetables are already being refused entry at border crossings. “Initially it seemed that the Russian government was making its decision on a product-by-product and country-by-country basis after discussions with its producer associations to ascertain the possibility of meeting demand with local production, but as the morning wore on, a growing number of Russian importers starting cancelling orders – first as a precaution and subsequently as it was confirmed that trucks would be turned away at the border,” Afrucat said in a statement.