MOSCOW, August 25 (RIA Novosti) – Moscow hopes the distribution of humanitarian aid to eastern Ukraine with the participation of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) will continue as planned, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Monday.
“The distribution of humanitarian aid begins today with the participation of representatives of the International Red Cross. They are holding consultations with the local authorities on setting up a plan of distribution, and we hope that everything will go as planned,” Lavrov said at a briefing.
As the situation in Luhansk and Donetsk regions worsened earlier this month, Russia proposed sending a humanitarian convoy to eastern Ukraine under the auspices of the Red Cross. The convoy comprised 227 trucks, carrying about 2,000 tons of humanitarian aid that included baby food, medicine, grain, sugar, sleeping bags, generators and other essentials.
On August 22, several dozen Russian trucks crossed the border with Ukraine, allegedly without the clearance of Ukrainian customs officials. The Russian Foreign Ministry said Moscow had received a formal agreement from Kiev on August 12 on the passage of the humanitarian convoy across the Ukrainian border.
On the same day, the ICRC said it was ready to help residents of the besieged eastern Ukrainian city of Luhansk, but urged Russia and Ukraine to respect the independent humanitarian action of the organization.
On August 23, a deputy minister of emergency situations for Russia, Eduard Chizhikov, said that all 227 vehicles were searched by customs and border control and returned to Russia empty. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) later confirmed the return of the trucks.
