Russia calls time on 'cheese war' with Ukraine - agencies

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia has agreed to reopen its borders to Ukrainian cheese imports after a two month ban, on condition the producers have been checked and cleared by authorities, news agencies quoted representatives of both sides as saying on Tuesday.

Russian consumer watchdog Rospotrebnadzor barred imports of cheese from three Ukrainian producers in February after accusing them of using excessive quantities of palm oil, a cheap substitute for milk.

Ukraine claimed the move was politically motivated and a result of lobbying from Russian dairy producers. Russia and Ukraine have fought a string of trade wars, most notably over gas prices.

"We have agreed that these businesses have been checked and that we, as the Ukrainian side and the Ukrainian government, will provide guarantees that the plan has been implemented," Ukraine's trade minister Petro Poroshenko said, according to news agency Interfax.

Rospotrebnadzor head Gennady Onishchenko confirmed he would ensure Ukrainian cheese could return to the Russian market, state agency RIA Novosti added.

(Reporting By John Bowker; Editing by Helen Massy-Beresford)