MOSCOW, August 30 (RIA Novosti) - The European Union hopes that the political dialogue between Moscow and Brussels will promote a better understanding of the situation in Ukraine and ease tensions, the EU ambassador to Moscow told RIA Novosti Friday.
“I hope that actions and political dialogue that continues between Moscow and Brussels, and, most importantly, practical steps will be a step toward greater understanding and de-escalation of the situation,” Ambassador Vygaudas Usackas said.
Ukraine will be one of the topics on the agenda at the informal meeting of EU foreign ministers on August 29-30 in Milan.
Usackas also said the European Union understands the severity of the humanitarian crisis in war-torn southeastern Ukraine and Russia’s intention to send aid there.
“We acknowledge that the humanitarian situation in eastern Ukraine is serious and is getting worse. The European Union understands Russia’s intentions to send humanitarian aid,” Usackas said.
Earlier this week, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow is planning to deliver a second convoy carrying humanitarian aid to Ukraine’s eastern regions. The first delivery of Russian humanitarian aid to eastern Ukraine reached the city of Luhansk on August 22, after a week of waiting at a border checkpoint.
Since mid-April, Kiev has been conducting a military operation against the southeastern regions of Ukraine that refused to recognize the legitimacy of the new government after a February coup.
Moscow has repeatedly condemned Kiev’s military campaign against independence supporters in the east of the country and urged for an immediate stop to the punitive operation, advocating a peaceful resolution to the crisis.
More than 2,500 people, including the victims of the Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 crash, have been killed and more than 6,000 injured since the start of Kiev’s military operation against the militias in eastern Ukraine in mid-April, according to the United Nations.
