Ukraine wants Russian aid delivered to the east by train

Ukrainian authorities proposed that Russia change its system of humanitarian aid delivery to eastern Ukraine. According to Russian newspaper Kommersant, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry has handed over the formal proposal to the Russian Foreign Ministry.

According to the document, the Ukrainian government asks that supplies from Russia be delivered to eastern Ukraine using the railway system. The trains must pass through the Russia-Ukraine border at the Topoli checkpoint in Kharkiv region, and Ukrainian authorities must inspect the cargo at the following checkpoint in Kupyansk. Ukrainian humanitarian aid will be added to the Russian cargo at Kypyansk as well.

The proposal states that in order to register the cargo as “humanitarian aid,” one week before it is sent off, the Russian side must send all information on cargo contents to the Red Cross, to the UNHCR, or to another international organization approved by Kiev.

The international organization will then be tasked with conveying this information to the Ukrainian Welfare Ministry, which will determine if the cargo counts as humanitarian aid or not.

The Russian side has not yet commented on Kiev’s proposal. The self-proclaimed Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics (DNR and LNR) have announced that changing the current aid delivery system is unnecessary.

Trains traveling from Kupyansk to the border with the self-proclaimed DNR and LNR must be accompanied by the International Committee of the Red Cross, by Ukrainian security officers, and by Ukrainian Internal Ministry officers. After the demarcation line is crossed, Russia must carry responsibility for the security of the groups.

Russia has been sending humanitarian aid to eastern Ukraine since August 2014. The aid is delivered by Russian emergency services in trucks and cars.

When the first aid convoys were sent to Ukraine, the Russian side accused Ukrainian authorities of stalling during inspections at border checkpoints. Several Ukrainian politicians expressed concerns that the aid trucks might be delivering weapons and contraband to eastern Ukraine. Russia has not officially been accused of doing this.

According to Russia’s emergency services, over 39 tons of food, medicine and essential goods have been delivered to eastern Ukraine since August 2014.