KIEV, August 22 (RIA Novosti) — Kiev suggested holding talks on delivering Russian humanitarian aid, but Russia declined, Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council spokesman Andriy Lysenko said Friday.
“The Ukrainian side offered to hold negotiations between the leaders of the Russian and Ukrainian headquarters but they fell through because of Russia’s refusal…We note that responsibility for the safety of movement of the Russian convoy [of humanitarian aid] through the territory that is temporarily not under the control of Ukrainian forces lies exclusively on the Russian Federation," Lysenko said at a briefing.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry stressed that Kiev has been delaying an official reply to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) regarding security guarantees. However, it was officially confirmed that the Russian convoy has started moving through Ukrainian territory in a phone conversation between the Ukrainian and Russian foreign ministers.
Moscow also stressed that the Russian side did its utmost to sort out all of the formalities for the convoy’s journey.
Earlier on Friday, Ukraine’s Customs Service accused Russia of violating agreements on customs clearance for the humanitarian aid convoy shortly after some 60 trucks crossed the Ukrainian border and headed toward the city of Luhansk.
Ukraine’s border guard service said in a statement that the convoy started moving “without being accompanied by ICRC representatives and in breach of the existing agreements about customs clearance for the cargo.”
The ICRC said earlier today that the ongoing attacks in Ukraine’s eastern regions were of high concern and the representatives have refused to accompany the convoy despite previous assurances of secure passage.
The ICRC has repeatedly stated that security guarantees from both sides of the Ukrainian conflict were a prerequisite for its representatives to escort the convoy.
Earlier on Friday, eastern Ukraine independence supporters said they had set up checkpoints and traffic cordons to ensure safe delivery of the aid to Luhansk, while Ukrainian forces continued to shell the area “in breach of all agreements to ensure the safety of the humanitarian convoy."
Russia called for safety to be ensured during the delivery of the humanitarian aid, including a ceasefire between the conflicting parties. On Thursday United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and UN Humanitarian Affairs Undersecretary-General and Emergency Relief Coordinator Valerie Amos called for a ceasefire to allow for the delivery of humanitarian aid to the residents of Ukraine’s war-torn southeast.
