MOSCOW, September 11. /ITAR-TASS/. A second motor convoy with humanitarian aid supplies for the population of the southeastern regions of Ukraine was ready to go to Ukraine three weeks ago. However, there is no response from Kiev up to now, Vladimir Stepanov, Deputy Minister for Emergencies, told journalists. "All papers were gathered. Everything was ready thee weeks ago. We are (still) awaiting a reply from Ukraine," he emphasized.

The International Committee of the Red Cross is also awaiting a reply from Ukraine about dispatch of supplies. "The ICRC is interested in delivery of humanitarian aid /to Ukraine," Bruno Uskine, deputy head of the ICRC regional delegation in the Russian Federation, Belarus, and Moldova, said Thursday at a meeting of the committee for public support for the residents of Ukraine's south-east to the Federation Council upper house of the Russian parliament. Uskine said it is essential for the Red Cross to have available "Russia's application, which exists, and the Ukrainian side's consent which is absent" for the accomplishment of the supplies-delivery task.

Uskine stressed that the Red Cross would not apply to Ukrainian authorities in a request for dispatch of convoy but would await an application from Ukraine itself. "We are a non-governmental organization. It is necessary that all the sides concerned apply to us already with consent for us to carry out the humanitarian action," Uskine added.

The need for the delivery of aid to the Donetsk and Luhansk republics was underscored by Andrei Rodkin, spokesman of the Donetsk People's Republic. He said the matters figures in the Minsk accords (September 5). However, conditions for the dispatch of supplies have not been created up to now.

Yuri Vorobyov, Deputy Speaker of the Federation Council and head of the committee for public support for the residents of Ukraine's south-east, suggested that the House apply to the Verkhovna Rada in a request for assistance in expediting the passage of the Russian humanitarian convoy.

The convoy has been already formed and is staying in the city of Donetsk, Russia's Rostov Region. The overall weight of the humanitarian supplies is about 2,000 tonnes. These include food, prime necessities, medicines, and water purifying equipment.

The first batch of aid from Russia was delivered to Luhansk on Augusty 22 after a weeklong stay near the Ukrainian border, pending a reply from Kiev. It took not more than 24 hours to deliver the supplies.