Moscow - Russia yesterday asked the EU for emergency aid to stave off a massive humanitarian disaster in its northern and Arctic regions where because of critically low food and fuel supplies some local governments are preparing to evacuate people.
The Prime Minister, Mr Yevgeny Primakov, appealed directly to the EU President, Mr Jacques Santer, during talks in Moscow. A spokesman for Mr Santer said the request would be considered, but gave no more details.
This is Mr Primakov's frankest admission of the Russian people's desperate plight following the rouble's 250 per cent collapse and a tripling in many food prices since August. Only four days ago he gave a personal assurance in a television address that potato supplies would last the winter and that workers would soon receive months of back wages.
Denmark and Norway have already announced their readiness to give emergency supplies to Russia's western enclave of Kaliningrad and the far north respectively.