The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is to step up humanitarian aid to the affected residents in Donbas, but stresses that any ICRC action will be taken in strict adherence to its fundamental working principles.

"We are exploring the possibility of distributing additional aid in the conflict zones; this implies the involvement, endorsement, and support of all concerned parties. Any ICRC action will be taken in strict adherence to our fundamental working principles of neutrality, impartiality, and independence. Furthermore, the ICRC teams also need safe access to perform their work," head of the ICRC operations in Ukraine Michel Masson said.

"Our priority is to assist the displaced and resident people in Donbas, and to provide medical services to the wounded in all affected areas. The current situation calls for a bigger effort to help the civilian population, and we are deploying additional teams in Mariupol and Starobilsk," he said.

The ICRC also acknowledges the receipt of the offer from Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergei Lavrov about organizing aid convoys to the affected areas in Ukraine. "In the current situation, any humanitarian initiative is welcome to alleviate the suffering of civilians," Masson said.