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Ukraine bans transit of Russian cargo trucks

Xinhua, February 15, 2016 Adjust font size:

Ukraine on Monday started banning Russian cargo trucks from moving through the country, in the latest move of tit-for-tat actions between the two former allies.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk said the new regulation is in response to Russia's prior decision to ban Ukrainian cargo trucks from entering Russia, which Ukraine considered a violation of World Trade Organization norms.

"Ukraine temporarily suspends transit permits issued for trucks registered in the Russian Federation until it receives the explanation from the Russian side," Yatsenyuk was quoted as saying by the government's press service.

The latest spat started Thursday, when activists from Ukrainian nationalistic and radical movements blocked 600 trucks with Russian plates from entering or exiting Ukraine.

Russia's transport ministry said the trucks were shipping goods between Russia and the European Union (EU), and that the Ukrainian government has the responsibility to ensure the freedom of movement of these trucks.

After the transport ministry said that Russia's appeals have been left unanswered, the country retaliated on Sunday, announcing Ukrainian cargo trucks are prohibited from entering Russia.

The relationship between the two countries soured after Ukraine's pro-Russia president was forced out by pro-West demonstrations and Russia annexed the Crimea peninsula from Ukraine.

Russia has taken a series of restrictive measures against Ukraine, including the suspension of a Russia-Ukraine free trade agreement in response to Kiev joining a free trade zone with the EU. Moscow has also imposed a total ban on imports of agricultural products from Ukraine since Jan. 1.

For its part, Kiev has canceled preferential import duties on a range of Russian goods and imposed an embargo on some products made in Russia. Endi