Russian, Belarusian, Kazakh Leaders Concerned With Humanitarian Crisis in East Ukraine

MOSCOW, August 13 (RIA Novosti) — Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan are concerned about the humanitarian crisis in eastern Ukraine, the Kremlin’s press service said Wednesday following a telephone conversation among the countries’ presidents.

“The leaders expressed serious concern about the dire humanitarian consequences of the Kiev government’s military operation in the southeast. Vladimir Putin informed [Belarusian and Kazakh presidents] of sending a humanitarian mission [to Ukraine] in cooperation with the Red Cross," the Kremlin said in a statement.

Presidents Vladimir Putin, Alexander Lukashenko and Nursultan Nazarbayev “exchanged opinions about the possible formats of international efforts to assist prompt peaceful settlement of the internal political crisis in Ukraine,” the Kremlin said, adding, “The heads of states agreed to continue contacts.”

Russia sent a convoy of 280 trucks to Ukraine, carrying some 2,000 tons of relief aid from Moscow and the Moscow Region.

Russia officially addressed UN humanitarian agencies, the OSCE, the Council of Europe and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) with a call to organize an international humanitarian mission to Ukraine. Last week, Russia urged the UN Security Council to send a mission with Russian humanitarian aid to eastern Ukraine under the auspices of the ICRC and accompanied by its representatives.

The ICRC backed the proposal, and on August 11, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov announced that Russia had reached an agreement with Kiev and the Red Cross on sending a humanitarian mission to eastern Ukraine, expressing hope that the West will not impede its delivery.

Kiev launched a special operation in eastern Ukraine in mid-April to suppress independence supporters who refused to recognize the legitimacy of its new authorities. Moscow has repeatedly urged Ukrainian authorities to immediately stop the punitive operation and seek a peaceful resolution to the conflict.

According to a report by the mission of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), a total of 1,367 people have been killed since the special operation in eastern Ukraine began, while nearly 117,000 of Ukrainians have been forced to flee their homes and cross into neighboring Russia in search of shelter.