Russia to Allow NATO Armored Vehicles Through to Afghanistan

Russia will let NATO take armored vehicles to Afghanistan and return supplies through its territory under an expanded transit deal.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov made the announcement at a joint meeting in Moscow with visiting Afghan Foreign Minister Zalmay Rasul.

"An agreement has been reached in which the terms of transit Russia provides for NATO into Afghanistan will be broadened to include return transit from Afghanistan to NATO countries," Lavrov said, according to Reuters. "In addition to that, this easing of transit applies to armored vehicles with anti-mine protection."

Moscow and NATO struck a deal last weekend to boost the flow of Western military supply shipments through Russia to Afghanistan.

But NATO officials have not disclosed details of the new agreement or whether it changes Russia's previous limiting of transit to only noncombat equipment.