Russia will send about 20,000 tons of grain, water-purification equipment, and field hospitals to theSoutheast Asian nations hit by the tsunamis, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday.

"Around 20,000 tons of grain will be dispatched soon to the region, as well as water purification equipment and field hospitals," Putin was quoted by the Interfax news agency as sayingduring a meeting with Russian Patriarch Alexis II in the Kremlin.

He promised that Russia would offer additional humanitarian aid,both financial assistance and food aid, to nations that suffer great loss in the tsunami disaster.

Putin has expressed Russia's willingness to help these Asian nations deal with the consequences of the rare calamity as soon aspossible.

Two Russian planes are prepared on Thursday to deliver humanitarian aid, including 100 tons of cargo and 30 water purification stations from the Defense Ministry, to the tsunami-stricken countries of India and Thailand. Twenty epidemiologists are also to be dispatched, according to Interfax.

Russia was among the first group of countries sending aid to Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Thailand and other Indian Ocean countries ravaged by the tsunami on December 26. It has delivered three planeloads of tents, blankets, water-purification equipment and rescue workers and provided an estimated 2 million US dollars in aid so far, said Yuri Brazhnikov, director of the Emergency Situations Ministry's international actions department, according to the Itar-Tass news agency.