Putin, Poroshenko agree on aid delivery to Ukraine by railway

Moscow: Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday he has agreed with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko on the proposal of delivering humanitarian assistance to southeastern Ukraine by train.

"We agreed that we will implement Poroshenko`s plan in his way for aid provision to people in Lugansk and Donetsk, and send products and supplies by railway," Putin said of the Tuesday meeting with Poroshenko in Minsk in an interview with Russia`s Channel One Television.

Poroshenko proposed the plan at the face-to-face meeting between the two leaders held on the sidelines of the Minsk summit aimed at ending the month-long crisis in Ukraine, Xinhua reported.

"Poroshenko showed understanding for what Russia is doing" in terms of helping the southeastern Ukrainian regions, Putin said.

"It was a very good meeting, or so I think," Putin said, adding that Poroshenko was "a partner one can talk to."

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Friday that Moscow and Kiev were in contact to hammer out details of sending another Russian humanitarian convoy in the coming days.

Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said Tuesday it did not rule out the possibility of receiving a second convoy of humanitarian aid from Russia if certain conditions were met.

Last Friday, a 280-truck humanitarian aid convoy transporting some 2,000 metric tons of relief supplies entered Ukraine without Kiev`s consent.

International Committee of the Red Cross employee`s escort, drew fierce condemnation from Kiev as well as from major Western countries.

Moscow said it was a result of intolerance of Kiev`s deliberate delay. Kiev and some Western countries have been opposing Russia`s delivery of humanitarian aid to southeastern Ukraine out of fear that Russia "might take the opportunity to invade Ukraine."