Humanitarian convoy sparks war of words
Tension between Russia and Ukraine flared up yesterday after officials in Kiev declared that a Moscow-sponsored convoy carrying humanitarian aid to rebels in the east would be stopped at the border.
Western leaders expressed fears that convoy of 280 lorries could be a “trojan horse”, and the first step in a full-scale Russian invasion.
The lorries were bound for the rebel held, war-torn Luhansk region, where aid agencies described the situation as “critical” because there had been no proper water or electricity supply for 10 days. The city has shrunk from having a population of nearly half a million, to just 250,000.
“We will not consider the possibility of any movement of the Russian column on the territory of Ukraine,” said Valeriy Chalyy, deputy head of the presidential administration, adding, however, that the aid could be transported by the humanitarian charity the International Red Cross.
Jose Manuel Barroso, the European Commission president, said he had warned President Vladimir Putin “against any unilateral military actions in Ukraine, under any pretext, including humanitarian”.