Russia ready to send second humanitarian convoy to Ukraine

MOSCOW - Russia is ready to send a second batch of humanitarian aid to Ukraine pending Kiev's permission, Russian Emergency Situations Ministry said Thursday.

"People want clean water and food, so the convoy has been filling with those stuff," deputy minister Vladimir Artamonov said, adding that there is no secret of the content of the aid, he added.

The official said 1,848 tons of relief supplies were ready for delivery, of which 608 tonnes would be sent by rail and 1,240 tons by road, the Itar-Tass news agency reported.

The delivery date would be set by the International Committee of the Red Cross and Ukraine's Ministry of Social Policy when the cargo was confirmed as relief aid, according to the minister.

On Aug. 22, 280 Russian trucks entered Ukraine's eastern Lugansk region to deliver 2,000 tons of humanitarian aid for local civilians without Kiev's consent. Moscow claimed the action was a result of intolerance of Kiev's deliberate delay.

Kiev and some Western countries have been opposing Russia's delivery of humanitarian aid for fear that Russia "might take the opportunity to invade Ukraine."

On Aug 29, Russian President Vladimir Putin has agreed with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko on the proposal of delivering more humanitarian assistance to southeastern Ukraine by train.