Following the 'success' of the first humanitarian convoy, Bloomberg reports that Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said the nation plans to send a second convoy loaded with humanitarian aid to Ukraine. he U.S. and the European Union condemned the decision to send the first convoy of about 280 trucks, which the government in Kiev called an "invasion," and the US accused Russia of painting military vehicles white. This time will be different, according to Lavrov, as the government in Moscow is maneuvering to avoid the border standoff and uproar that marred its first convoy last week, adding “We’ll work on ensuring security guarantees from the side of the militias." Ironically, Lavrov also reminded a "disinformation"-prone media that Russia remains the only nation that continues to seek an MH17 probe as Ukraine has still not released Dnipropetrovsk air traffic control recordings.

As Bloomberg reports,

Russia has informed Ukraine of plans to dispatch another column of trucks this week, with the convoy taking the same route through rebel-held territory as the tractor-trailers that returned to Russia two days ago, Lavrov told reporters in Moscow today. The U.S. and the European Union condemned the decision to send the first convoy of about 280 trucks, which the government in Kiev called an “invasion.”



“We want to coordinate our actions with Ukrainian authorities, which are also planning to send additional humanitarian aid to the southeast,” Lavrov said. “We’ll work on ensuring security guarantees from the side of the militias.” The government in Moscow is maneuvering to avoid the border standoff and uproar that marred its first convoy last week.

But we are sure the US will spin this one way or another...

Lavrov said he had no information about the incident and accused Ukraine of providing “a lot of disinformation about our invasions.”

Furthermore, Lavrov notes, Russia Is Only Country Seeking MH17 Incident Probe

Those who accused Russia over Malaysian airplane crash in Ukraine are now silent, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says at briefing in Moscow. “In substance we are the only ones trying to keep attention on this very serious problem”: Lavrov Ukraine is not providing Dnipropetrovsk air traffic control recordings: Lavrov

Ukraine, it would appear remains mired in problems... despite the market's pricing-in de-escalation...

Speaking at the parade in Kiev, President Petro Poroshenko announced a military spending increase, pledging to allocate more than 40 billion hryvnia ($3 billion) in 2015-2017. “Unfortunately, there will always be a military threat to Ukraine,” Poroshenko said. “War has come from the side nobody expected.” German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who met Poroshenko in Kiev two days ago, said a breakthrough is unlikely at talks between him and Russian President Vladimir Putin tomorrow. The meeting won’t bring about “one big breakthrough” though “you have to talk with each other if you want to find solutions,” Merkel said in an interview with Germany’s ARD television yesterday.

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But stocks are at record highs?