Ukraine accepts Russia's offer to mutually resume cargo trucks transit: PM

Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk announced Wednesday that his government has accepted Russia's offer to mutually lift a ban on cargo trucks transit starting Feb. 25.

"As they are opening up their territory, we are taking similar measures based on a principle of reciprocity," Yatsenyuk told a cabinet meeting.

The prime minister has instructed the country's Interior Ministry and the police to ensure the security of movement of Russia-registered trucks through the territory of Ukraine.

On Feb.14, Russia suspended movement of Ukrainian commercial vehicles via its territory, in response to the blocking of about 600 cargo trucks with Russian plates heading to the European Union (EU) countries by Ukrainian nationalists.

One day later, Kiev banned Russian freight vehicles from moving through Ukraine, saying it was a tit-for-tat response to Moscow's actions.

The cargo transit row marked the latest development of a political dispute between the two ex-Soviet neighbors, which erupted two years ago over different views on the unrest in Crimea and Ukraine's eastern regions.

Russia has taken a series of restrictive measures against Kiev, including the suspension of a Russia-Ukraine free trade agreement in response to Kiev's joining a free trade zone with the EU.

Besides, Moscow has also imposed a total ban on imports of agricultural products from Ukraine since Jan. 1, while restricting the automobile and railway transit of goods from Ukraine via Russia.

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