Yatseniuk says militants blocking of humanitarian aid for Donbas is 'humanitarian crime'

Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatseniuk has said that the separatist militants who are blocking the access of international humanitarian aid for areas uncontrolled by the Ukrainian government Donbas are committing 'a humanitarian crime against the people'.

"Russian-backed militants blocked international humanitarian aid meant for the residents of the occupied territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions. This is a real humanitarian crime against the people who have become hostages of the terrorists," he said at a meeting with the representatives of international humanitarian organizations on Thursday.

The Cabinet of Ministers press service reported that Yatseniuk called for the "maximum increasing of joint efforts to open access to humanitarian aid for the residents of occupied territories."

He also said that the blocking of humanitarian aid is "more evidence of how cynical the intentions of Russian criminals and militants are, whose actions undermine peace and worsen the humanitarian state in the region."

In addition, Yatseniuk stressed the importance of putting pressure on the Kremlin, "which controls its puppets [in Donbas]."

"This issue must be one of the main elements of the talks which soon will start in the Normandy format at the highest level," he said.