Moscow – The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) plans to step up its activities in Ukraine in order to give more help to the population of the east of the country, ICRC President Peter Maurer said.
The ICRC would also like to set up a chain of aid delivery from Russia to eastern Ukraine, Maurer said during a meeting with Russian Emergency Situation Minister Vladimir Puchkov in Moscow.
Maurer expressed hope that the ICRC would have its budget enlarged by between 20 million and 25 million Swiss francs in order to be able to help eastern Ukraine more.
He said the ICRC is proposing setting up an international mechanism for providing humanitarian aid to eastern Ukraine.
Maurer was going to proceed to Kyiv from Moscow. He said he would brief the Russian Emergency Situations Ministry on the results of his trip to the Ukrainian capital.
He also said that, on his return to Geneva, he would meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
