International reaction to the Russian convoy with humanitarian aid for the people of Ukraine
Russia sent a humanitarian convoy to the east of Ukraine, since it could no longer wait amid the urgent need for assistance for the residents of the region, Russia's permanent representative to the organization Vitaly Churkin told a press conference at the UN.
“In any case, it became clear to our people on the spot yesterday and this morning that the Ukrainians continue to drag out time,” the diplomat said. At the same time, he explained that the Ukrainian border guards, who were supposed to give a green light to the convoy of trucks, referred to the absence of an order to let the cargo through.
"In a situation where there is an urgent need for this humanitarian aid and some products deteriorate, especially baby food, the decision was made," said Churkin. According to him, the International Red Cross and the Ukrainian side were warned that the convoy of vehicles with humanitarian aid could not wait any longer. Churkin expressed the hope that the IWC will be able to participate in the distribution of aid in the field, since its staff are there.
The Russian Permanent Representative said that this measure was necessary, but did not solve the problems of the dramatic situation in the east of Ukraine, where fighting continues.
Following Churkin, the Deputy Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the UN, Alexander Pavlichenko, spoke in front of the journalists, arguing that Russia had not allowed to inspect all the trucks.
“Yesterday, our authorities began a search of a humanitarian convoy on Russian territory, and by the morning tens of trucks with humanitarian aid from the convoy were inspected,” said Pavlichenko. However, according to him, the Russian side did not wait until the whole convoy was inspected.
“In the morning, Ukrainian officials were not allowed to inspect the rest of the trucks in the convoy by Russian forces,” said Pavlichenko. According to him, "neither the Ukrainian side nor the IWC were aware of the content of the cargo." However, as Churkin said earlier, they had every opportunity to inspect the cargo, and even journalists could see the contents of the cargo in any of the trucks.
All trucks from the Russian humanitarian convoy for the south-east of Ukraine reached the territory of Lugansk. About this correspondent. ITAR-TASS reported the representative of the city administration.
“At present, unloading of humanitarian goods has begun, which will then be distributed among residents,” he said. However, he did not rule out that part of the Russian humanitarian aid will also be forwarded to the DPR.
According to the representative of the city administration, "the distribution will be handled by a special commission, which is entrusted, in particular, with the obligation to determine the priority groups of the population for the distribution of assistance."
Who will get help first
Residents of the capital of the proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic (LNR) are happy to meet the Russian motorcade. Seeing the white-painted trucks with Russian numbers, people took to the streets to greet the drivers who brought food and other basic necessities.
KamAZ trucks arrived at warehouses and food bases equipped with refrigerators. For the arrival of the Russian convoy, they were prepared within a week by connecting electric generators. Already on Saturday, August 23, the first points of humanitarian aid will be opened in Lugansk.
Total points organized 24, and 12 of them will open on Saturday morning, reported in the administration of LC. But first, in the warehouses will be made accounting of humanitarian goods. The lists are compared with those provided by the Russian side. According to the speaker of the parliament of the Union of People's Republics, Oleg Tsarev, a list of residents most in need of assistance has already been compiled in Lugansk.
“First of all, they will be given assistance to pensioners, as well as to families where both parents work in the public sector, to refugees who have suffered from bombing, disabled people and hospital patients,” said Tsarev.
The United States, the European Union and NATO have condemned the shipment of a Russian convoy with humanitarian aid to Ukraine
USA
The United States condemns the shipment by Russia of convoys of humanitarian aid to Ukraine. Ben Rhodes, a key foreign adviser to President Barack Obama in the White House office, confirmed this on August 22 at a press briefing in Massachusetts, where the American leader is on vacation. According to Rhodes, in the United States the dispatch of the column is considered not coordinated with Ukraine or the International Committee of the Red Cross, and they see it as a “violation of Ukrainian sovereignty.”
Responding to a question about whether the United States considers this step “aggression” against Ukraine, the adviser to the US president claimed that it was a “dangerous escalation” that “fits into the general scheme” of the previous steps of Russia. He demanded to withdraw the convoy from Ukraine and threatened that otherwise Russia would “increase its isolation” and face “additional costs and consequences” of its actions.
A similar position was stated in the Pentagon by the spokesman for this department, Rear Admiral John Kirby. In his opinion, Russia "should not send vehicles, people or cargo of any kind" to Ukraine "without the express consent of Kiev." The current actions of Russia constitute a "violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine," claimed the official representative of the US Department of Defense.
НАТО
NATO considers Moscow to be responsible for the "escalation of the conflict in Ukraine with the use of Russian armed forces." Such an opinion is reflected in the statement of the Alliance Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen, which was distributed on Friday.
“I condemn the entry of the so-called Russian humanitarian convoy into Ukrainian territory without the consent of the Ukrainian authorities and without the participation of the ICRC. This is a gross violation of international obligations undertaken by the Russian Federation recently in Geneva and Berlin, and a further violation of the sovereignty of Ukraine by Russia,” he argued.
Rasmussen believes that these actions only "exacerbate the crisis, which Russia itself has generated and continues to support." “These actions are all the more worrying because they coincided with a serious escalation of the conflict in eastern Ukraine in mid-August, including the use of Russian forces,” the secretary general added.
Canada
“Russia's actions cause serious concern to Canada and the international community,” said Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper in an explanatory note to the sanctions. “We also adhere to the adoption of mandatory standards aimed at imposing restrictions on the export of technologies used in the Russian oil exploration and production sector "They will be carried out in parallel with our allies."
The European Union
The EU considers the “violation of the immunity of the Ukrainian border” its intersection with a convoy of humanitarian aid from Russia. This was reported
"Humanitarian aid should be delivered and distributed with the participation of international humanitarian organizations and with the consent of the official Kiev. The EU calls on the Russian side to reconsider the unilateral decision," said the EC representative.
The EU foreign affairs service responded in the same way. "We regret Russia's decision to send a humanitarian convoy to Ukrainian territory unaccompanied by the ICRC. This is a clear violation of the Ukrainian border, contrary to previous agreements reached between Ukraine, Russia and the ICRC. We urge Russia to reverse this decision," the official representative of the head of diplomacy said EU Sebastien Brabant.
United Kingdom
Minister for European Affairs at the Foreign Ministry of Britain, David Lidington, said that crossing the Russian convoy with humanitarian aid without the permission of the Ukrainian authorities is a provocation. He also condemned the Russian humanitarian mission.
“I am concerned that the Russian convoy entered the Ukrainian territory without obtaining permission from the Ukrainian government. These provocative actions violate previous agreements that the Ukrainian government should allow the convoy to enter Ukrainian territory, while the International Red Cross guarantees the humanitarian character of the column, ”he stressed.
Germany
German Chancellor Angela Merkel during a telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed concern that the Russian humanitarian convoy had entered Ukraine without permission. This was announced by the representative of the Government of Germany Steffen Seibert.
Ukraine
The entry into the territory of Ukraine of more than a hundred Russian cars "without customs inspection, border clearance and escort of the staff of the International Red Cross is a flagrant violation of international law." This statement, as reported by the press service of the President of Ukraine, Petro Poroshenko spoke at a meeting with Lithuanian Foreign Minister Linas Linkyavichus.
“We will do everything possible to ensure that this does not lead to more serious consequences,” said the President of Ukraine, adding that, on his instructions, Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin and the head of his administration, Boris Lozhkin, contacted their Russian counterparts, to "bring our concerns and offer to return the situation in the field of international law."
Kiev does not need Russian humanitarian aid, claims Arseniy Yatsenyuk, appointed by the Verkhovna Rada Prime Minister of Ukraine.
"We have our own humanitarian aid. The Cabinet has allocated 10 million to it. The Russian Federation does not need to supply us with humanitarian aid," said Yatsenyuk.
Speaking about the situation with the Russian humanitarian convoy, the head of government said that when inspecting the trucks, it turned out that the cars were half-empty.
“We searched the whole 34 of KamAZ. In one KamAZ, we found 800 kg of tea, while each machine can carry more than 20 tons. All other machines were loaded to the maximum of 8 tons,” he states.
OSCE
Acting Chairman of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), President of Switzerland Didier Burkhalter spoke in favor of bringing the process of rendering humanitarian aid to the east of Ukraine back on the legal track. “Considering that the deplorable living conditions of the civilian population in the east of Ukraine are getting worse, it is necessary to urgently return to joint and legitimate humanitarian efforts,” a communiqué said on Friday in ITAR-TASS.
According to the OSCE chairman, "the agreement between Ukraine and the Russian Federation on the conditions for the delivery of aid to the convoy was not faithfully executed." He called on "all parties to exercise maximum restraint and refrain from any actions that could lead to a further escalation of the situation." Burkhalter noted that "humanitarian assistance should be provided in accordance with humanitarian principles and with full respect for the sovereignty of Ukraine."
He added that the OSCE, in accordance with its existing mandate and capabilities, “will continue to support the efforts of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), which is acting in the region for the benefit of people in need.”
UN
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said earlier that Russia and Ukraine should cooperate on humanitarian assistance for residents of eastern Ukraine. However, the head of the United Nations also expressed deep concern about the current situation in Ukraine.
We will remind, earlier the President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko called the entry of the humanitarian column of the Russian Federation to Ukraine a violation of international law: “We will do everything possible so that it does not lead to more serious consequences,” he said.
At the same time, Prime Minister of Ukraine Arseniy Yatsenyuk 22 of August said that "Kiev does not need Russian humanitarian aid." “We have our own humanitarian aid. The Cabinet has allocated 10 million to it. The Russian Federation does not need to supply us with humanitarian aid, ”he noted.
“In any case, it became clear to our people on the spot yesterday and this morning that the Ukrainians continue to drag out time,” the diplomat said. At the same time, he explained that the Ukrainian border guards, who were supposed to give a green light to the convoy of trucks, referred to the absence of an order to let the cargo through.
"In a situation where there is an urgent need for this humanitarian aid and some products deteriorate, especially baby food, the decision was made," said Churkin. According to him, the International Red Cross and the Ukrainian side were warned that the convoy of vehicles with humanitarian aid could not wait any longer. Churkin expressed the hope that the IWC will be able to participate in the distribution of aid in the field, since its staff are there.
The Russian Permanent Representative said that this measure was necessary, but did not solve the problems of the dramatic situation in the east of Ukraine, where fighting continues.
Following Churkin, the Deputy Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the UN, Alexander Pavlichenko, spoke in front of the journalists, arguing that Russia had not allowed to inspect all the trucks.
“Yesterday, our authorities began a search of a humanitarian convoy on Russian territory, and by the morning tens of trucks with humanitarian aid from the convoy were inspected,” said Pavlichenko. However, according to him, the Russian side did not wait until the whole convoy was inspected.
“In the morning, Ukrainian officials were not allowed to inspect the rest of the trucks in the convoy by Russian forces,” said Pavlichenko. According to him, "neither the Ukrainian side nor the IWC were aware of the content of the cargo." However, as Churkin said earlier, they had every opportunity to inspect the cargo, and even journalists could see the contents of the cargo in any of the trucks.
All trucks from the Russian humanitarian convoy for the south-east of Ukraine reached the territory of Lugansk. About this correspondent. ITAR-TASS reported the representative of the city administration.
“At present, unloading of humanitarian goods has begun, which will then be distributed among residents,” he said. However, he did not rule out that part of the Russian humanitarian aid will also be forwarded to the DPR.
According to the representative of the city administration, "the distribution will be handled by a special commission, which is entrusted, in particular, with the obligation to determine the priority groups of the population for the distribution of assistance."
Who will get help first
Residents of the capital of the proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic (LNR) are happy to meet the Russian motorcade. Seeing the white-painted trucks with Russian numbers, people took to the streets to greet the drivers who brought food and other basic necessities.
KamAZ trucks arrived at warehouses and food bases equipped with refrigerators. For the arrival of the Russian convoy, they were prepared within a week by connecting electric generators. Already on Saturday, August 23, the first points of humanitarian aid will be opened in Lugansk.
Total points organized 24, and 12 of them will open on Saturday morning, reported in the administration of LC. But first, in the warehouses will be made accounting of humanitarian goods. The lists are compared with those provided by the Russian side. According to the speaker of the parliament of the Union of People's Republics, Oleg Tsarev, a list of residents most in need of assistance has already been compiled in Lugansk.
“First of all, they will be given assistance to pensioners, as well as to families where both parents work in the public sector, to refugees who have suffered from bombing, disabled people and hospital patients,” said Tsarev.
The United States, the European Union and NATO have condemned the shipment of a Russian convoy with humanitarian aid to Ukraine
USA
The United States condemns the shipment by Russia of convoys of humanitarian aid to Ukraine. Ben Rhodes, a key foreign adviser to President Barack Obama in the White House office, confirmed this on August 22 at a press briefing in Massachusetts, where the American leader is on vacation. According to Rhodes, in the United States the dispatch of the column is considered not coordinated with Ukraine or the International Committee of the Red Cross, and they see it as a “violation of Ukrainian sovereignty.”
Responding to a question about whether the United States considers this step “aggression” against Ukraine, the adviser to the US president claimed that it was a “dangerous escalation” that “fits into the general scheme” of the previous steps of Russia. He demanded to withdraw the convoy from Ukraine and threatened that otherwise Russia would “increase its isolation” and face “additional costs and consequences” of its actions.
A similar position was stated in the Pentagon by the spokesman for this department, Rear Admiral John Kirby. In his opinion, Russia "should not send vehicles, people or cargo of any kind" to Ukraine "without the express consent of Kiev." The current actions of Russia constitute a "violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine," claimed the official representative of the US Department of Defense.
НАТО
NATO considers Moscow to be responsible for the "escalation of the conflict in Ukraine with the use of Russian armed forces." Such an opinion is reflected in the statement of the Alliance Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen, which was distributed on Friday.
“I condemn the entry of the so-called Russian humanitarian convoy into Ukrainian territory without the consent of the Ukrainian authorities and without the participation of the ICRC. This is a gross violation of international obligations undertaken by the Russian Federation recently in Geneva and Berlin, and a further violation of the sovereignty of Ukraine by Russia,” he argued.
Rasmussen believes that these actions only "exacerbate the crisis, which Russia itself has generated and continues to support." “These actions are all the more worrying because they coincided with a serious escalation of the conflict in eastern Ukraine in mid-August, including the use of Russian forces,” the secretary general added.
Canada
“Russia's actions cause serious concern to Canada and the international community,” said Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper in an explanatory note to the sanctions. “We also adhere to the adoption of mandatory standards aimed at imposing restrictions on the export of technologies used in the Russian oil exploration and production sector "They will be carried out in parallel with our allies."
The European Union
The EU considers the “violation of the immunity of the Ukrainian border” its intersection with a convoy of humanitarian aid from Russia. This was reported
"Humanitarian aid should be delivered and distributed with the participation of international humanitarian organizations and with the consent of the official Kiev. The EU calls on the Russian side to reconsider the unilateral decision," said the EC representative.
The EU foreign affairs service responded in the same way. "We regret Russia's decision to send a humanitarian convoy to Ukrainian territory unaccompanied by the ICRC. This is a clear violation of the Ukrainian border, contrary to previous agreements reached between Ukraine, Russia and the ICRC. We urge Russia to reverse this decision," the official representative of the head of diplomacy said EU Sebastien Brabant.
United Kingdom
Minister for European Affairs at the Foreign Ministry of Britain, David Lidington, said that crossing the Russian convoy with humanitarian aid without the permission of the Ukrainian authorities is a provocation. He also condemned the Russian humanitarian mission.
“I am concerned that the Russian convoy entered the Ukrainian territory without obtaining permission from the Ukrainian government. These provocative actions violate previous agreements that the Ukrainian government should allow the convoy to enter Ukrainian territory, while the International Red Cross guarantees the humanitarian character of the column, ”he stressed.
Germany
German Chancellor Angela Merkel during a telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed concern that the Russian humanitarian convoy had entered Ukraine without permission. This was announced by the representative of the Government of Germany Steffen Seibert.
Ukraine
The entry into the territory of Ukraine of more than a hundred Russian cars "without customs inspection, border clearance and escort of the staff of the International Red Cross is a flagrant violation of international law." This statement, as reported by the press service of the President of Ukraine, Petro Poroshenko spoke at a meeting with Lithuanian Foreign Minister Linas Linkyavichus.
“We will do everything possible to ensure that this does not lead to more serious consequences,” said the President of Ukraine, adding that, on his instructions, Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin and the head of his administration, Boris Lozhkin, contacted their Russian counterparts, to "bring our concerns and offer to return the situation in the field of international law."
Kiev does not need Russian humanitarian aid, claims Arseniy Yatsenyuk, appointed by the Verkhovna Rada Prime Minister of Ukraine.
"We have our own humanitarian aid. The Cabinet has allocated 10 million to it. The Russian Federation does not need to supply us with humanitarian aid," said Yatsenyuk.
Speaking about the situation with the Russian humanitarian convoy, the head of government said that when inspecting the trucks, it turned out that the cars were half-empty.
“We searched the whole 34 of KamAZ. In one KamAZ, we found 800 kg of tea, while each machine can carry more than 20 tons. All other machines were loaded to the maximum of 8 tons,” he states.
OSCE
Acting Chairman of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), President of Switzerland Didier Burkhalter spoke in favor of bringing the process of rendering humanitarian aid to the east of Ukraine back on the legal track. “Considering that the deplorable living conditions of the civilian population in the east of Ukraine are getting worse, it is necessary to urgently return to joint and legitimate humanitarian efforts,” a communiqué said on Friday in ITAR-TASS.
According to the OSCE chairman, "the agreement between Ukraine and the Russian Federation on the conditions for the delivery of aid to the convoy was not faithfully executed." He called on "all parties to exercise maximum restraint and refrain from any actions that could lead to a further escalation of the situation." Burkhalter noted that "humanitarian assistance should be provided in accordance with humanitarian principles and with full respect for the sovereignty of Ukraine."
He added that the OSCE, in accordance with its existing mandate and capabilities, “will continue to support the efforts of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), which is acting in the region for the benefit of people in need.”
UN
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said earlier that Russia and Ukraine should cooperate on humanitarian assistance for residents of eastern Ukraine. However, the head of the United Nations also expressed deep concern about the current situation in Ukraine.
We will remind, earlier the President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko called the entry of the humanitarian column of the Russian Federation to Ukraine a violation of international law: “We will do everything possible so that it does not lead to more serious consequences,” he said.
At the same time, Prime Minister of Ukraine Arseniy Yatsenyuk 22 of August said that "Kiev does not need Russian humanitarian aid." “We have our own humanitarian aid. The Cabinet has allocated 10 million to it. The Russian Federation does not need to supply us with humanitarian aid, ”he noted.
- http://itar-tass.com/
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