Russia warns against disrupting aid to East Ukraine
August 23, 2014, 5:03 am

Russian President Vladimir Putin in a phone call with German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Moscow was no longer prepared to tolerate any delays and the aid convoy was starting to move towards the city of Luhansk [Ria Novosti]

The US said Moscow has shown disrespect to Ukrainian sovereignty and demanded an immediate removal of the convoy.

“We condemn this action by Russia, for which it will bear additional consequences,” said National Security Council Spokesperson Caitlin Hayden on Friday.

“At the same time as Russian vehicles violate Ukraine’s sovereignty, Russia maintains a sizable military force on the Ukrainian border capable of invading Ukraine on very short notice,” the spokesperson added.

Meanwhile, additional NATO forces have been deployed in NATO-allies bordering Russia.

Russian President Vladimir Putin in a phone call with German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Moscow was no longer prepared to tolerate any delays and the aid convoy was starting to move towards the city of Luhansk.

“Given the obvious protractions by Kiev on the issue of the delivery of Russian aid to southeast regions of Ukraine, which are suffering a humanitarian catastrophe, a decision was made on sending the convoy. Further delaying it would have been unacceptable,” Putin told Merkel.

Russia’s Foreign Ministry said that all excuses to delay sending aid had been exhausted and Russia had taken the decision to “act”.

Local media in Luhansk quoted city officials as saying the Russian convoy was being unloaded already.

A Reuters report on Saturday quoted a senior Ukrainian security chief as saying that Ukrainian forces would let the Russian convoy pass to avoid “provocations”.

“Big thanks to Russia. Our brothers did not forget us. We are brothers. That is the most important thing. We are Slavs, we are together,” Mikhail Denikin, chairman of the village council in Izvaryne in Ukraine told Reuters.

 Source: Agencies