Meanwhile apparently somewhere in Russia people burning a cut out of Snickers bar. MT"@monahkz11: pic.twitter.com/5qKgKA3RrW”
— Yulia Bragina (@YuliaSkyNews) August 12, 2014
Intl Red Cross says "extremely concerned" about people in east #Ukraine "thousands...without access to water, electricity and medical aid."
— David M. Herszenhorn (@herszenhorn) August 12, 2014
According to this report tweeted by Interfax-Ukraine, the deputy head of Petro Poroshenko's presidential administration, Valeriy Chaly, says Kyiv expects to ratify its Association Agreement with the EU sometime next month:
Соглашение об ассоциации с ЕС будет ратифицировано в сентябре, убеждены в администрации президента http://t.co/HTHvX7ZY81 #ukraine
— Интерфакс-Украина (@interfaxua) August 12, 2014
Good morning. We'll start the live blog today with this report from our news desk on how aid is apparently now on its way to Luhansk from Russia:
A Russian convoy of up to 280 trucks carrying humanitarian aid has reportedly left for Ukraine.
Russian news agencies are reporting that the convoy set off from the Moscow region early this morning.
The region’s administration is quoted as saying that the aid consists of food, medicine, medical equipment, sleeping bags, and portable power generators.
On August 11, Russia said it was sending a humanitarian convoy into Ukraine with Red Cross supervision and without a Russian military escort.
Ukraine said it had agreed to a humanitarian mission to the separatist stronghold of Luhansk that includes cooperation from the European Union, Germany, Russia, and others, and is led by the Red Cross.
It insisted that any humanitarian mission must be without Russian military escort.
The Red Cross said it was ready to begin aid delivery but needed more details about the aid from Russia.
(ITAR-TASS, Interfax)
We are now closing our live blog for today. Don't forget that you can follow all our ongoing Ukraine coverage here.
1st article to provide some clarity on what's up: "Ukraine, Red Cross to lead humanitarian effort to Luhansk Oblast" http://t.co/M9ReaBnzU9
— toomas hendrik ilves (@IlvesToomas) August 11, 2014
So the Red Cross has finally commented on the humanitarian mission it is supposed to be leading in eastern Ukraine (from RFE/RL's news desk):
Laurent Corbaz, the head of Red Cross operations for Europe and Central Asia, said in a statement today that all sides must guarantee the security of Red Cross workers because the organization will not take part in any aid delivery mission that involves military escorts.
Corbaz also said it needs to receive "without undue delay" from Russia "all necessary details concerning the aid, including the volume and type of items, and requirements for transport and storage.
Full ICRC statement on humanitarian convoy: pic.twitter.com/hFE8uh7LRg
— Luke Johnson (@johnson) August 11, 2014
Here's some dramatic footage courtesy of RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service showing pro-Kyiv paramilitaries engaged in heavy fighting with pro-separatist rebels near Donetsk on August 10.
So US, EU, #Russia and #Ukraine agreed to an international humanitarian aid convoy for #Lugansk. No soldiers. Just goodwill and trust. Hmm.
— Maxim Tucker (@MaxRTucker) August 11, 2014