Photo from UNIAN
Russia has offered Ukraine to mutually lift restrictions on the transit of freight transport, said Head of the Association of International Road Carriers of Ukraine Leonid Kostiuchenko, commenting on the Russian Transport Ministry's statement addressing the Ukrainian authorities with a proposal for a mutual cancelation of transit restrictions.
"We hope that tomorrow there will be reached an agreement [on mutual lifting of transit restrictions between Ukraine and Russia]. Russia has already sent a letter with a proposal to cancel these restrictions…now the issue will be considered at a government meeting tomorrow," Kostiuchenko said.
He added that at the Association's request, the Ukrainian government has simplified the procedure for customs clearance regarding the return of Ukrainian trucks, which movement has earlier been blocked in Russia, as well as accelerated the reimbursement of value added tax for businesses affected by the current situation.
As UNIAN reported earlier, early Friday, February 12, the activists launched an indefinite rally, to prevent the exit from Ukraine toward foreign borders of trucks with Russian registration numbers. The campaign has spread to a number of areas.
In response to the actions of Ukrainian activists, the Russian authorities February 14 banned the transit of trucks with Ukrainian registration numbers through its territory. In turn, the Ukrainian Cabinet of Ministers February 15 responded with retaliatory measures and suspended transit permits issued for Russian-registered trucks.
Later, the two sides began negotiations to resolve the situation. On February 16, Russian and Ukrainian authorities reached an agreement that would allow long-haul trucks a grace period to "return home" after Ukraine-licensed vehicles were forbidden from transiting Russian territory and vice versa. The grace period will last through February 25.