Associated Press

KIEV, Ukraine – Ukraine says traffic has resumed to and from its ports on the Sea of Azov following a standoff with Russia.

Ukraine’s Infrastructure Minister Volodymyr Omelyan said merchant ships were moving through the Kerch Strait linking the Sea of Azov with the Black Sea.

Omelyan, who accused Russia last week of blocking the Strait for Ukrainian cargoes, said Tuesday that the ports of Berdyansk and Mariupol have been “partially unblocked” thanks to a “stern international response.”

Russia, however, insisted that it never blocked vessels from traveling through the Kerch Strait and that any possible disruptions were linked to bad weather.

Relations between the two neighbors have been further strained over a Nov. 25 incident in which the Russian coast guard fired upon and seized three Ukrainian naval vessels and their crews.

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