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Russian lawmaker: Kiev may try to paint Russia’s response to blocked trucks as aggression

More than 100 Russian trucks are currently blocked in different parts of Ukraine

Russian Federation Council’s International Affairs Committee chairman Konstantin Kosachev Anna Isakova/Russian State Duma Press Service/TASS

Russian Federation Council’s International Affairs Committee chairman Konstantin Kosachev

© Anna Isakova/Russian State Duma Press Service/TASS

MOSCOW, February 15. /TASS/. Ukrainian authorities will try to paint Russia’s reaction to blocking Russian trucks in Zakarpattia Region as aggression and violating the rights of the Ukrainian state, Federation Council’s International Affairs Committee chairman Konstantin Kosachev said on Friday.

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Commenting on the situation around Russian trucks that were denied transit through Ukrainian territory on February 11, Kosachev wrote on his Facebook page that Kiev used the same method "when several years ago it disrupted transit of Russian gas to the European Union because of Ukraine’s failure to pay its bills." "The scheme is essentially the same - to stage a provocation against Russia, provoke Russia’s response, paint Russia’s response reaction as aggression and violation of rights," he added noting that the scheme "works not automatically but only when they are given the green light from Brussels or Washington."

"Then consultations follow. They consult on how far they will be allowed to go in their next anti-Russian provocation," he added. If current consultations between Ukraine and the European Commission (EC) have the result favorable for Kiev, then Russia can expect a consolidated condemnation of its response measures banning transit of Ukrainian trucks through its territory as "violation of norms of UN, WTO (World Trade Organization), OSCE (Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe) and also of the Council of Europe," the lawmaker noted.

Read also

Russia suspends traffic of Ukrainian trucks in response to Ukraine’s actions

"However, this will not result in more goods as they were supposed to be delivered to certain destinations by those same trucks. Ukraine will not have more economic stability, and neither will the European Union," Kosachev concluded.

More than 100 Russian trucks are currently blocked in different parts of Ukraine. Roads were blocked for them in most part of western Ukraine. According to "112" Ukrainian TV channel, nine regions joined the action, including Volyn, Rivne, Lviv, Zakarpattia, Ivano-Frankivsk, Zhytomyr, Vinnytsia, Sumy and Chernivtsi. Participants in the protest demand official ban for Russian transit via Ukrainian territory.

In response to Ukraine’s actions, Russia suspended movement of Ukrainian trucks via Russian territory on February 14. "As a response measure, Russia suspended movement of trucks registered in Ukraine on its territory," the transport ministry said in a statement.

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