Red Cross ready to significantly increase assistance to Ukraine

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is ready to expand its activities in Ukraine in order to solve the difficult humanitarian situation in the occupied territories.

Prospects of future cooperation have been discussed during a meeting of President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko with President of the International Committee of the Red Cross Peter Maurer in Switzerland, the press service of the Head of State reports according to Ukrinform.

"Peter Maurer noted that the Red Cross is ready to significantly increase the number of its trucks with humanitarian cargo," the statement said.

Thus, according to Maurer, the ICRC activity in Ukraine is one of the five largest and most priority operations conducted by the Committee in the world. In general, the ICRC budget in Ukraine will amount to $84.5 million in 2015.

Poroshenko stressed the importance of cooperation between Ukraine and the ICRC for the delivery of international humanitarian aid to the people living in the occupied territories of the Donbas conflict zone. He stated that the current government is constantly cooperating with the ICRC.

The Head of State informed Maurer on fulfillment of the Minsk agreements emphasizing that Ukraine fully complies with its commitments. At the same time he drew attention to the non-compliance with the paragraph of the Minsk arrangements concerning liberation of hostages, particularly Ukrainian pilot Nadiya Savchenko, who was kidnapped over 10 months ago and is still kept in Russian prison on the trumped up charges. Ukraine's President has urged the ICRC to intensify its efforts in order to free Nadiya Savchenko immediat