Russian convoy exits Ukraine

A total of 184 vehicles from the Russian aid convoy, which crossed into Ukraine on Friday without permission, have returned to Russia from rebel-held Ukranian territory, a Ukrainian military spokesman said Saturday.

Meanwhile, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Saturday the standoff over Ukraine could be solved but only if control was tightened over the Ukraine-Russia border across which, the West alleges, Russia has been funnelling arms to help a separatist rebellion.

Chancellor Merkel, on her first visit to the country since the crisis erupted early this year, was visiting Kiev as a prelude to a meeting next week between the Russian and Ukrainian leaders that diplomats say is the best chance in months of a peace deal in eastern Ukraine, where government forces are fighting pro-Moscow rebels. She pressed Moscow to engage on a peace plan with Kiev, saying success was not possible if only one side was interested in a diplomatic solution.

"There must be two sides to be successful. You cannot achieve peace on your own. I hope the talks with Russia will lead to success," said Merkel.

"The plans are on the table ... now actions must follow," said Merkel, adding that there also needed to be a cease-fire agreed with both sides.

Ukrainian troops loyal to the government in Kiev have made significant advances into rebel-held territory this week in a conflict that has claimed more than 2,000 lives and forced over 340,000 people to flee their homes. Ukraine celebrates Independence Day on Sunday, and there are widespread suspicions the government is anxious for a breakthrough by then.

As the death toll mounted and civilian suffering deepened, trucks in the 200-vehicle convoy crossed into Ukraine on Friday morning on their way to Luhansk, a city with a war-reduced population of a quarter-million people, 12 miles from the Russian border.

Western capitals expressed anger after the convoy entered Ukraine without the permission of the Ukraine government in a move Kiev called an "invasion." The arrival and return of the convoy followed fierce fighting in eastern Ukraine on Thursday in what appeared to be a last-gasp attempt by government troops to snatch back territory from pro-Russian separatists before the arrival of a Russian aid convoy overseen by the Red Cross.

Trucks loaded with water, generators and sleeping bags for desperate civilians in the besieged city of Luhansk managed to move through Ukrainian customs after being held up at the border for a week, in part because of safety concerns and Ukrainian fears that the convoy's arrival could halt the military's advance.

Clashes also hit Luhansk on Thursday, a day after the government said it had retaken much of the rebel stronghold. The city has been under siege for 19 days, lacking such basics as running water and electricity.

"People hardly leave their homes for fear of being caught in the middle of ongoing fighting, with intermittent shelling into residential areas placing civilians at risk," the Red Cross said.

Al Jazeera and wire services