Ukraine says will deny entry to Russian aid convoy

Ukraine says it will deny entry to a Russian convoy of 280 trucks packed with aid for the war-ravaged east of the country.

“We will not consider the possibility of any movement of the Russian column on the territory of Ukraine,” said Valeriy Chaly, deputy head of Ukraine’s Presidential Administration, on Tuesday.

He also said any consignment should be loaded onto transport provided by the Red Cross and that Russian personnel would not be permitted to escort it.

Russian media say some 2,000 tons of aid, from baby food to sleeping bags, was en route to east Ukraine, where some 1,300 people have been killed in fighting between pro-Russia forces and government forces.

On Monday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Moscow and Kiev had agreed on a humanitarian mission under the authority of the Red Cross.

The Red Cross says that humanitarian situation in eastern Ukraine is critical as reports say thousands have no access to water, electricity and medical aid.

Meanwhile, French President Francois Hollande expressed his concern over Russia’s unilateral mission in Ukraine in a telephone conversation with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.

A humanitarian operation “could only take place on Ukrainian territory if the national Ukrainian authorities gave their consent, both in terms of the format of the mission and on how it would be carried out,” Hollande said.

Forces from the new Ukrainian government have been closing in on pro-Russian strongholds in the east over the past few days.