Moscow - Russia has permitted the first convoy of supplies for US troops in Afghanistan to cross its territory, according to Interfax news agency on Tuesday.

The non-military supplies crossed Russia by train, arriving at the border with Kazakhstan on Tuesday, according to diplomatic sources cited by Interfax.

That initial delivery was seen as the start of establishing the trust for further such supplies, the source said.

US and NATO supply lines transporting equipment to Afghanistan have become the frequent target of Taliban attacks as they pass through Pakistan, forcing the need for alternative routes.

Russia agreed at last year's NATO summit in Bucharest to allow non-military equipment to be transported across its territory.

According to the Russian media reports, the first train load of supplies left from the port of Latvia's capital, Riga, before entering Russian territory.

Russia and the US had been locked in intensive negotations in recent weeks on the exact transit arrangements. The new US administration has announced it is to expand the number of American forces in Afghanistan dramatically.

Moscow already allows Germany to use its airspace to supply German forces in northern Afghanistan. German Defence Minister Franz Josef Jung was in Moscow on Tuesday for talks with his opposite number, Anatoly Serdyukov, where he was to thank Russia for now permitting land transportation. (dpa)