Ukraine Says Russia Scrapped Extra Import Checks

Ukrainian politicians say the checks were an attempt by Moscow to make Kyiv drop the pursuit of an EU free-trade agreement.

Ukraine's government says Russia has scrapped extra customs inspections on Ukrainian imports, just days after applying them.

Ukrainian politicians had said the laborious checks were an attempt by Moscow to make Kyiv drop the pursuit of a free-trade agreement with the European Union.

A spokeswoman for Ukraine's Ministry of Revenues and Duties said on August 20 that Russia "assured [us] that as of today, additional customs-control procedures do not apply."

Officials at the Russian Federal Customs Service declined to comment.

Russia has made it clear it wants Ukraine to join a Eurasian Customs Union of former Soviet states rather than sign an association agreement with the EU, which Kyiv hopes to do in November.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart, Viktor Yanukovych, spoke about the problem by phone last week, but released no details.

Based on reporting by Reuters and Interfax