Ukraine: Aid convoy returns to Russia

More than half of a convoy of Russian trucks laden with aid has returned to Russia from Ukraine after dropping off its supplies in the besieged Ukrainian city of Luhansk.

Reuters reported that as of 1p.m. local time Aug. 23, 184 vehicles from the convoy were counted crossing the border back into Russia.

Ukrainian border officials did not inspect the convoy as it left. A Ukrainian military spokesperson also could not say how many trucks from the convoy remained in Ukraine, according to Reuters.

The convoy's swift withdrawal was unexpected by the government in Kiev and western powers like the United States. Both had condemned the convoy as some type of ruse meant to give Russia a pretext to invade Ukraine. There were also fears that the convoy was actually carrying military supplies, but these seem to have been unfounded.

As the tension from the convoy began to ease, the German Chancellor Angela Merkel met with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko in Kiev.

Reuters says that while in Kiev, Merkel stressed the importance of policing the joint Ukrainian and Russian border. The 1,300-mile border is largely insecure, and the West has accused Russia of using that insecurity to send arms and fighters to support pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine.

One of the suggestions for securing the border Merkel proposed involved having the border patrolled by members of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. It is a multinational body of more than 50 members, including Russia.

While Poroshenko said he was open to such an agreement, the Ukrainian military continued to shell and besiege the city of Donetsk, the last major stronghold of the pro-Russian forces.

The Ukrainian military has recently driven most of the pro-Russian fighters from the city of Luhansk. If they can claim control of Donetsk in the near future, the rebels will be on the verge of total military defeat.