UPDATE 3: Kiev suspends Russian truck transit across Ukraine to Europe

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MOSCOW/KIEV, Feb 15 (PRIME) -- The Ukrainian government has officially suspended traffic of Russian trucks across the country, including their transit to the E.U., according to a statement posted in the government’s Twitter blog on Monday.

The Russian Transport Ministry said on February 14 that Ukrainian nationalists had blocked more than 100 trucks heading to the E.U. and 500 trucks returning to Russia in the Zakarpattia Region, which is the only route open for Russian cargo traffic after earlier Poland’s truck transit suspense.

Russia suspended the entrance of trucks from Ukraine in retaliation for the blockade.

“The Ukrainian side has taken no measures to eliminate unlawful activities by the mentioned groups of people in order to ensure an uninterrupted traffic of Russian cargo vehicles until now… As a retaliation step, Russia has suspended traffic of cargo-carrying vehicles registered in Ukraine across its territory,” the ministry said.

The Ukrainian government said, “We have decided to suspend traffic of Russian cargo trucks on the territory of Ukraine.”

Ukraine’s Infrastructure Ministry said earlier that it is discussing measures to tackle the issue with the European Commission and E.U. countries.

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry sent a note to Moscow requesting clarifications of the Russian prohibition for truck entrance.

Spokesman for the Russian president Dmitry Peskov said that Russia is ready for retaliation if Ukraine does not unblock the roads. “We are looking very attentively at the situation. We presume that the Transport Ministry takes energetic steps to unblock the situation – this is firstly. And secondly, sure, is provision of an adequate response in case of an undesirable way of the crisis continuation.”

Deputy Transport Minister Nikolai Asaul said Moscow hopes for conflict resolution on Monday.

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