UNITED NATIONS, August 22 (RIA Novosti) – The examination of the UN Security Council statement on Moscow's proposal for a ceasefire in eastern Ukraine during the delivery of Russian humanitarian aid has been delayed, UK mission to the United Nations, which presides this month in the Security Council, told RIA Novosti.
"A number of delegations have made constructive comments and we are still waiting for a Russian response," the press service of the UK Permanent Mission to the UN reported.
A comment from the Russian Permanent Mission to the UN could not be obtained.
On Thirsday, Russian Foreign Ministry said that Moscow called on the UN Security Council to make a statement about the need of a ceasefire in Ukraine during the delivery of Russian humanitarian aid.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said this week that it was awaiting a formal security guarantee for employees escorting the convoy of humanitarian aid. In return, the Deputy Prime Minister of Donetsk People’s Republic Andrei Purgin guaranteed the security of the Red Cross staff.
Earlier today, spokesman for the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Andriy Lysenko said that the ceasefire is possible in eastern Ukraine, but it should be based on Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko’s peace plan.
The ICRC has repeatedly stated that security guarantees were the absolute prerequisite for the delivery of humanitarian aid. Earlier this week, ICRC President Peter Maurer discussed the situation with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and said that Russia and southeastern Ukraine independence supporters have fulfilled their duty concerning the safety of the humanitarian convoy, while "the Ukrainian side failed to provide the required guarantees for the convoy’s safe passage and subsequent aid distribution," according to a Russian Foreign Ministry statement.
Earlier in August, in light of the worsening humanitarian situation in Ukraine, Russia suggested sending an international humanitarian mission to eastern Ukraine under the auspices of the ICRC.
The convoy comprises 280 trucks carrying about 2,000 tons of humanitarian aid, including baby food, medicine, grain, sugar, sleeping bags and other necessities. The trucks set off from Moscow Region on August 12, heading toward Ukraine’s conflict areas.
