MINSK, August 26 (RIA Novosti) - The Customs Union of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan should join the delivery of humanitarian aid to eastern Ukraine, Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev said Tuesday.
"We call on to make immediate decisions to prevent the humanitarian disaster and start large-scale humanitarian assistance by Russia and by international organizations, including the Customs Union and the CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States)," Nazarbayev said in the run-up to the meeting of Customs Union member states with the president of Ukraine and top European Union officials in Minsk.
He said his country is ready to render assistance, while the Red Cross could help in aid delivery.
"Unbiased humanitarian control is needed," the Kazakh leader said.
Nazarbayev also stressed the necessity of introducing a ceasefire in Ukraine in order to deliver humanitarian aid.
"A ceasefire needs to be announced in the country to help the children, women, and others injured from the military conflict in southeastern Ukraine," he said.
"A breath of peace is needed," added the president of Kazakhstan.
The multi-party talks in Minsk are expected to address a number of urgent political and economic issues, including the Ukrainian crisis, humanitarian aid to the country’s troubled regions, the flow of refugees to Russia, and the possibility of an internal dialogue between Kiev and eastern Ukraine.
Poroshenko said he hopes the results of the August 26 consultations in Minsk are the first steps toward achieving peace in Ukraine.
