West slams leadership votes in east Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin has not officially responded to the vote yet.

Pro-Russian separatists in the breakaway Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Luhansk went to the polls to choose leaders for their self-proclaimed republics, bringing the rebellion in the country's industrialized east to a climax in a move likely to exacerbate tensions between Russia and the West over the Ukraine crisis.

Alexander Zakharchenko, 38, a mining electrician-turned-rebel leader, on Monday won the election for leadership of the "Donetsk People's Republic (DPR)," the separatists' political and military stronghold in eastern Ukraine.

Russian FM statement on the implementation of the Minsk agreements on a settlement in Ukraine and elections in its southeastern regions

From the Official Website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation (Statements and speeches):
 
Considering the ultimatum issued by Kiev and some Western capitals that elections not be held in the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Lugansk people’s republics, it would be logical to remind the following.
In accordance with the Minsk agreements reached in September this year by representatives of the President of Ukraine and the self-defence forces of southeastern Ukraine with the mediation of Russia and the OSCE, these elections can be held between 19 October and 3 November of this year.

EU politicians not unanimous over Ukraine's future after parliamentary elections

German government considers those elections an important step towards stability, whereas an Italian politician and journalist Giulietto Chiesa believes that stability in Ukraine is still very far away ...


MOSCOW, October 27. /TASS/. Ukraine’s newly-elected parliament is unlikely to restore Ukraine to stability, Italian politician and journalist, Giulietto Chiesa, has told TASS.
“Stability is still very far away. Apparently, after the elections the prevailing presence of right-wing parties inside the Verkhovna Rada will be used as a pretext for an offensive (against Donetsk and Luhansk regions),” Chiesa said.

G-7 Foreign Ministers' Joint Statement on Ukraine (U.S. State Department)

Office of the Spokesperson, New York City, September 25, 2014:

 

The text of the following statement was released by the Foreign Ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States and High Representative of the European Union:

Parties at Minsk Talks Agree on Memorandum Regulating Ukrainian Ceasefire Implementation (MINSK MEMORANDUM, 20.09.14)

Kiev authorities and pro-independence fighters in southeastern Ukraine have agreed on complete ceasefire, establishment of the buffer zone, withdrawal of heavy weapons away from the contact line on both sides, and deployment of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) monitoring mission.

Early Saturday morning parties at the talks in Minsk – Russia, Ukraine, the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk People's republics and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) – aligned positions and formulated a memorandum of nine provisions that will regulate the implementation of a ceasefire agreement between Kiev and independence supporters in eastern Ukraine. Leonid Kuchma, former Ukrainian president representing the country at the talks, read out the provisions of the memorandum at the conclusion of the talks.

Ukraine: UN political chief says adverse security conditions hampering full access to crash site

 UN, 19 September 2014 – Two months after the crash of a Malaysia Airlines flight over Ukraine that killed 298 people on board, the top United Nations political official updated the Security Council on developments related to the investigation of the incident.

“While the cease-fire in south-eastern Ukraine, thus far, is holding, contributing to a marked de-escalation on the ground, the conditions are still not conducive for investigators to have full and unfettered access to the site,” said Under-Secretary General for Political Affairs Jeffrey Feltman.

Already fragile ceasefire under strain in east Ukraine

Fighting flared near an airport in eastern Ukraine in breach of a fragile eight-day ceasefire as the prime minister accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of planning to destroy his country.
Prime Minister Arseny Yatseniuk said only membership of NATO would enable Ukraine to defend itself from external aggression.

Russia slams US sanctions, says counter-measures 'won't take long'

Russia’s Foreign Ministry has slammed the latest round of US sanctions over Ukraine as “another hostile move.” Moscow said that this will not change the country’s position, and added that imposing “counter-sanctions will not take long.”
The Foreign Ministry accused the US of adopting a confrontational course toward Russia.
“It’s the US that is banking on the escalation of Ukraine’s internal conflict and pressing Russia with sanctions,” the ministry said in a statement, adding that this comes after a ceasefire has been reached in eastern Ukraine at huge effort and there is a hope for a dialogue between the rebel forces and Kiev.
"Of course our retaliatory measures will not keep you waiting, but this is a forced measure," the online statement said.

New anti-Russian sanctions will not be left without proper reaction from Moscow (FM)

New anti-Russian sanctions will not be left without proper reaction from Moscow, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Thursday after the EU adopted a new package of anti-Russian sanctions.

The European Union seems to have made its choice against peace settlement for the crisis in Ukraine, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

Neue Sanktionen gegen Russland - EU gibt Moskau mehr Zeit

Die EU verzögert die Anwendung verschärfter Russland-Sanktionen um einige Tage. Zwar hatten die EU-Staaten am Freitag eine grundsätzliche Entscheidung dazu getroffen. Auch genehmigten die EU-Staaten das Paket grundsätzlich, teilte EU-Ratspräsident Herman Van Rompuy mit. Aber mit der Inkraftsetzung solle noch gewartet werden. "Dies wird uns Zeit geben für eine Beurteilung der Umsetzung der Waffenstillstands-Vereinbarung und des Friedensplans." Mit Blick auf die Situation in der Ostukraine sei die EU bereit, die vereinbarten Sanktionen ganz oder teilweise noch einmal zu überdenken. Diplomaten zufolge sollen die EU-Botschafter am Mittwoch erneut beraten.

NATO stages major military exercise in Latvia after Wales summit

RIGA - NATO staged a major military exercise in Latvia on Saturday in a practical demonstration of NATO leaders' commitment to defend its Baltic member states in the face of an assertive Russia.
A NATO meeting in Wales on Friday agreed to form a new rapid reaction force and to step up exercises in eastern Europe in response to Russia's actions in Ukraine.

Allies in the Baltics fear Russian President Vladimir Putin could use the same rationale as he used to explain intervention in Crimea - defending Russian speakers - to justify an attack against one of the NATO countries in the Baltics, which also have Russian-speaking minorities.

EU prepares to toughen sanctions on Russia

BRUSSELS. -The European Union is preparing to increase sanctions against Russia unless President Vladimir Putin decides to pull Russian troops out of Ukraine, according to the EU Commission on Wednesday.
"European Commission has adopted proposals for consideration by EU member states to take significant further steps," EU Commission spokeswoman, Pia Ahrenkilde Hansen, said Wednesday in a statement.
The European Union aims to strike the most important sectors of the Russian economy, including the oil and defense sectors.

Ukraine's troops retreat from vital airport. (NATO membership)

Ukraine's military has pulled its forces back from defending a vital airport in the east against what is decribed as a column of Russian tanks, as President Petro Poroshenko accused Moscow of "direct and open aggression".
The withdrawal from the civilian airport outside the city of Luhansk was the latest in a string of reverses for Ukrainian forces fighting pro-Russian separatists who Kiev says have the direct support of hundreds of Russian troops and armour.

An army statement on Monday said Ukrainian paratroopers were engaging a Russian tank battalion near the airport.

Statement by the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the events in Ukraine

From the Official Website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation (Statements and speeches):

"The centrality given to false claims of Russian aggression and incursions by our troops and armoured vehicles in discussions of the crisis in Ukraine raises a number of serious questions.
Why do those clamouring for an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council consistently block our proposals for a comprehensive discussion of the origins of the Ukrainian tragedy and for collective action on a solution that serves the interests of all Ukrainian people, and instead treat Ukraine like a bargaining chip in unilateral geopolitical schemes?

Poroshenko cancels visit to Turkey, calls urgent Security Council meeting

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has cancelled a visit to Turkey and convened an urgent national security council meeting over the situation in the Donetsk region, the presidential press service said on Thursday.

"I have decided to cancel the working visit to Turkey in connection with the sharp deterioration of the situation in the Donetsk region, in particular in the Amvrosiyevka and Starobeshevo," he said.

Good borders make good neighbours, Merkel tells Ukraine

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Saturday the standoff over Ukraine could be solved 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.

Merkel 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.

Red Cross team enters eastern Ukraine to smooth way for Russian convoy

GENEVA - Red Cross officials entered eastern Ukraine on Wednesday to smooth the planned delivery of relief supplies aboard a Russian aid convoy, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said.

The convoy has been stuck at the Russia-Ukraine border for nearly a week due to Ukrainian concerns it could serve as a Trojan horse to infiltrate military supplies to pro-Russian separatists in the area. Moscow says the mission is purely humanitarian in support of civilians trapped by the conflict.

Red Cross waits for Ukraine to recognise Russian aid as humanitarian

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has sent Kiev a written resolution confirming the examination of the cargo the Russian humanitarian convoy is carrying, the aid agency’s regional representative said on Saturday.

Pascal Cuttat, head of the ICRC’s regional delegation, said the Red Cross had not yet received Kiev’s reply as to whether it will recognise the convoy as humanitarian aid or not.

EU warns Putin against action in Ukraine, including humanitarian. Russia said on Monday it had reached an agreement with Ukraine

BRUSSELS: European Commission head Jose Manuel Barroso warned Russian President Vladimir Putin in a phone call on Monday (Aug 11) against any unilateral intervention in Ukraine, including for humanitarian reasons.

"Speaking with President Putin, President Barroso said that the EU would join in international efforts to assist people in need as a result of the conflict," a commission statement said. "President Barroso warned against any unilateral military actions in Ukraine, under any pretext, including humanitarian," it added.

Wladimir Putin warnt: "Der Friede in Europa ist zerbrechlich"

Am 100. Jahrestag des Beginns des Ersten Weltkriegs hat Wladimir Putin davor gewarnt, dass der Friede in Europa zerbrechlich sei". Er sei nur durch "guten Willen und Dialog" zu erreichen.

Kremlchef Wladimir Putin hat zum 100. Jahrestag des Beginns des Ersten Weltkriegs gemahnt, dass der Friede in Europa "zerbrechlich" sei. 
Ohne den blutigen Konflikt in der Ukraine direkt zu erwähnen, sagte Putin in Moskau: "Die Menschheit sollte längst begriffen und die wichtigste Wahrheit anerkannt haben: Gewalt erzeugt Gewalt." Frieden und Wohlstand seien nur durch "guten Willen und Dialog" zu erreichen. Dies seien die Lehren aus Kriegen, sagte der Kremlchef der Agentur Interfax zufolge bei der Einweihung eines Denkmals für die Opfer des Ersten Weltkriegs.