Lithuania to send humanitarian aid to Ukraine amid crisis

  • 2014-08-29
  • From wire reports, VILNIUS

(photo: Reuters)

Lithuania is ready to provide the Ukrainian government with humanitarian and technical aid amid what it calls a Russian 'invasion' of the country, Lithuania's Prime Minister Algiras Butkevicius has said.

The Prime Ministers comments come after Ukraine said Russia had sent troops and tanks to the east of the country on Thursday. Russia has denied its troops are fighting alongside pro Russia rebels in the east of the country.

"The undeclared war against a sovereign state is unsettling the European security system. As tension rises in Ukraine we must assess the readiness of our services, their abilities to promptly perform the duties they are entrusted," said the Prime Minister after meeting with ministers on Friday.

"Lithuania supports Ukraine in political and diplomatic measures, it is ready to provide humanitarian and technical aid,"

Butkevicius added that a first batch of aid collected by the Kiev government and public organizations will soon reach Ukraine.

Lithuania on Thursday called for an emergency meeting of the UN security council where it condemned Russia's invasion of the Ukraine.

But Russian ambassador the Ukraine Vitaly Churkin told ambassadors at the emergency meeting the bloodshed was the fault of the Kiev government. 

“The current escalation of situation in southeastern Ukraine is a direct consequence of Kiev’s wrongful policy to wage a war against own people,” he said, cited RIA Novosti.