On border of #Ukraine are #Russia's 45000 men,160 tanks,1360 arm. vehicles,390 guns,150 Grads,192 planes,137 copters http://t.co/vj3m32dShj
— Juhani Kaukoranta (@jukaukor) August 11, 2014
#Poroshenko talks to #Obama who supports aid convoy to east #Ukraine in cooperation w/ EU, Rus, Germany - @STsegolko https://t.co/r69IeQNdX3
— Christopher Miller (@ChristopherJM) August 11, 2014
Russian FM Lavrov says have agree to aid mission with #Ukraine http://t.co/ssyiypCLQy #sooonotaninvasion?
— Ian Bateson (@ianbateson) August 11, 2014
Source in Poroshenko administration: No Russian convoy. Will be aid for Luhansk through int'l components. Russia included, but no soldiers.
— Christopher Miller (@ChristopherJM) August 11, 2014
Surely not true that @ICRC is declining to comment on #Putin's announcement of joint Red Cross /#Russia 'humanitarian' mission in #Ukraine?
— Maxim Tucker (@MaxRTucker) August 11, 2014
RFE/RL's news desk has issued another update on the situation regarding the possible delivery of aid to eastern Ukraine which appears to have Western backing -- at least in principle:
The Kremlin says Russian President Vladimir Putin has told European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso that Moscow is sending a "humanitarian" convoy into Ukraine with supervision by the International Red Cross.
Ukraine’s President Petro Poroshenko says he has agreed to an international humanitarian mission that includes cooperation from the European Union, Germany, Russia, and others – and that is led by the Red Cross.
Poroshenko said that mission has the blessings of Russia and the United States.
But he said any humanitarian mission must be "an international one without any military escort” by Russian forces.
Barroso had warned Putin against any unilateral military action in Ukraine under any pretext, including humanitarian.
NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said earlier today that he saw a "high probability" of Russia intervening militarily in Ukraine "under the guise of a humanitarian operation."
(Reuters, AP, AFP, dpa, ITAR-TASS, Interfax)
MFA: aid from #Ukraine, US, EU, Russia will be delivered to #Lugansk reg, logistics organized by ICRC&UA http://t.co/H8fgh8T04q
— Olga Tokariuk (@olgatokariuk) August 11, 2014
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
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.
Full ICRC statement on humanitarian convoy: pic.twitter.com/hFE8uh7LRg
— Luke Johnson (@johnson) August 11, 2014