The violence and proximity of all involved are on everyone's minds, including whoever printed the menu for tonight's Russian-Ukrainian-French-German talks, judging by this tweet from Ukrainian Foreign Minister Klimkin. "Paris-Moscow" potato. And couldn't they have gone with one of arugula's *other* names?
AFP reports ahead of tonight's talks that German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier is hoping to emerge with a concrete plan for a lasting truce in Ukraine.
The meeting will include Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin, and French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius, in addition to Steinmeier.
"It is all about finding a road map toward a sustainable cease-fire and a framework for effective border controls," Steinmeier said in a statement issued ahead of the evening talks.
"Only in this way can eastern Ukraine calm down and Kiev continue a national dialogue that appropriately involves the people in the east."
Steinmeier cautioned that "a simple recipe does not exist", adding: "That is why it is so important in my view that we all sit down at a table at this time".
The German minister also said that "the humanitarian situation in eastern Ukraine is currently drawing a lot of political attention" and that "we must take care of this".
"But we must not neglect the search for political ways out of the crisis in Ukraine. We urgently need new political impetus -- otherwise we run the risk of treading water, or of going backward and re-entering an intensified spiral of escalation."
Russian news media continue their disingenuous reporting on Ukraine and the aid convoy.
ITAR-TASS knows full well that: a) this ICRC individual isn't speaking about specific mission or shipments; and b) general requirements for compliance are not what's at issue in the Ukrainian case; c) "formalities" are pretty important; and d) quoting a Russian Emergency Situations Ministry spokesman characterizing direct ICRC remarks is not the same as actually quoting the ICRC. But it issues this report anyways:
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) confirmed Russia observes requirements for humanitarian convoys, spokesman for the emergencies ministry Alexander Drobyshevsky said on Sunday.
ICRC's Head of the Regional delegation of the ICRC for the Russian Federation Belarus and Moldova Pascal Cuttat visited on Sunday the ministry's camp, where the humanitarian cargo for Ukraine's southeast is kept.
"ICRC confirms the Russian side complies with the requirements the Red Cross presents for humanitarian convoys," the spokesman said.
"Representatives of the humanitarian convoy and head of ICRC's delegation exchanged views," he said. "Pascal Cuttat was satisfied with what he saw and confirmed the Red Cross was ready to continue the work with the relief cargo."
He stressed Russian and Ukrainian representatives jointly with ICRC will organise formalities at the Russia-Ukraine border crossing station.
Here's our newsroom report on the success of Russian authorities in discouraging that unsanctioned Siberian independence rally:
A Siberian independence rally appears to have been blocked in Russia's third-largest city, Novosibirsk.
Journalists and Twitter users in the city say as few as 40 people turned out for the march, which had been banned by city authorities for calling for a federalized Siberian Republic with greater autonomy from Moscow.
A heavy police presence was reported at the site.
Police in a second Siberian city, Omsk, reportedly closed off a central square to prevent protesters from gathering there.
Rally organizers say the federalization proposal, which would bring three-fourths of Russia's land mass under greater Siberian control, is no different than the plan backed by Russian President Vladimir Putin in eastern Ukraine.
Several Siberian activists were arrested in the run-up to the scheduled march, including organizer Konstantin Yeremenko.
Activists say they have been subject to intimidation and threats in the days leading up to the march.
Based on reporting by rustelegraf.ru and ovdinfo.org
Important to note that Russian authorities made a lot of arrests and threats in the runup to the mock "March for Federalizing Siberia" organized by Artyom Loskutov, a Novosibirsk artist, and others.
Here was our own Glenn Kates' story on the Russian authorities' nearly hysterical -- and seemingly hypocritical -- response to Artyom Loskutov's organization of today's "event."
Moscow Freaks Out About Federalization Rally...In Siberia
Right Sector tries to heap more pressure on Kyiv: