|
 The comments reflected suspicions in Kiev and Western capitals
that passage of the convoy onto Ukrainian soil could turn into a
covert military action to help pro-Russian separatists now losing
ground to government forces.
"The level of Russian cynicism knows no bounds," Prime Minister
Arseny Yatseniuk said at a government meeting. "First they send
tanks, Grad missiles and bandits who fire on Ukrainians and then
they send water and salt."
Interior Minister Arsen Avakov said on his Facebook page: "No Putin
'humanitarian convoy' will be allowed across the territory of
Kharkiv region. The provocation by a cynical aggressor will not be
allowed on our territory."
Yatseniuk reiterated that any kind of humanitarian aid from the
outside had to be organized under the auspices of the International
Committee of the Red Cross.
It was not immediately clear if this was an outright rejection of
the Russian aid, which was being taken by a convoy of 280 trucks
down to the Ukrainian border on Wednesday, or a refusal to allow the
Russian trucks onto Ukrainian territory.
HUMANITARIAN CRISIS
Ukraine said on Tuesday that the cargo would have to be unloaded
from Russian trucks at the border and transferred under
international Red Cross aegis onto other vehicles. The European
Union (EU) said the contents would have to be scrutinized.
Kiev accuses Russia of supporting and arming the rebels - who now
appear to be on the verge of defeat by government forces - with
tanks, missiles and other weapons. Moscow denies this.
Four months of fighting in the east has produced a humanitarian
crisis in parts of eastern Ukraine. People in the main cities of
Donetsk and Luhansk, on the border with Russia, are suffering acute
shortages of water, food and electricity.
[to top of second column]
|
Yatseniuk said the Kiev government had received 6 million dollars
from its Western partners which would be used to alleviate
conditions in distressed areas.
"We as the government of Ukraine are sending vitally needed goods to
all the liberated territories," Yatseniuk said, meaning those places
which had been recaptured from the rebels.
"We as a state are looking after and are capable of looking after
our citizens," he said.
The convoy which Russia says is carrying about 2,000 tonnes of
water, baby foods and other goods left Moscow region on Tuesday for
the Ukrainian border.
Journalists monitoring the movement of the convoy said it appeared
to be at the Russian town of Voronezh on Wednesday, about 340 km
(212 miles) from Shebekino on the Ukrainian border.
(Reporting by Natalia Zinets; Writing By Richard Balmforth; editing
by Ralph Boulton)
[© 2014 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2014 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
