MOSCOW, December 14. /TASS/. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin held a meeting in Geneva with Mirjana Spoljaric, President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), in which the two discussed the organization's further work in Donbass.

"The humanitarian aspects of the Ukrainian crisis received a great deal of attention. The Russian side emphasized the need for the committee to take comprehensive measures to put an end to gross violations of international humanitarian law on the Ukrainian side and to properly ensure the rights of Russian servicemen held by Kiev. Modalities for the ICRC's further work in Donbass were also considered," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The parties also discussed the "unprecedented escalation" in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict zone. "Both sides expressed serious concern about the further deterioration of the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip. The imperative of an immediate and sustainable ceasefire and emergency assistance to the population of the enclave was emphasized. The need to continue the committee's efforts to free the hostages was noted," the ministry said.

The ministry noted that Vershinin and Spolarich also discussed issues of bilateral cooperation to rectify the humanitarian situation in Syria "on the basis of commitment to the guiding principles of UN humanitarian assistance, respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity."

"Mutual willingness to further develop bilateral cooperation in order to increase the effectiveness of responses to humanitarian challenges was outlined," the Russian Foreign Ministry concluded.