12:05
22.6.2014
New #Ukraine Foreign Minister Pavel Klimkin is a bit of a sex symbol in the Foreign Ministry acc. to a Facebook poll of female employees.
— Will Vernon (@BBCWillVernon) June 22, 2014
12:36
22.6.2014
Putin order for combat readiness came down to RUS troops in Chebarkul (Ural) amid RUS military buildup on UKR border http://t.co/Z6GetzLM5v
— Ryskeldi Satke (@RyskeldiSatke) June 22, 2014
13:31
22.6.2014
Agence France-Presse: #Ukraine president offers talks with #eastern rebels http://t.co/MglNh8In7S
— Kyiv Post (@KyivPost) June 22, 2014
13:31
22.6.2014
Russian military drills "coincidentally" run till the end of next week when Ukrainian ceasefire goes finish line in East Ukraine.
— Ryskeldi Satke (@RyskeldiSatke) June 22, 2014
13:33
22.6.2014
New York Post: #Putin’s contradictory #‘war and peace’ efforts http://t.co/5qkpInbf0h
— Kyiv Post (@KyivPost) June 22, 2014
13:48
22.6.2014
Protesters outside #Kyiv #Russian consulate, throwing unripe grapes at police pic.twitter.com/xr9wyGHklL
— Matthew Luxmoore (@mjluxmoore) June 22, 2014
15:04
22.6.2014
Before we close the live blog for today, we'll leave you with this update from RFE/RL's news desk. Don't forget you can keep abreast of all our ongoing Ukraine coverage here.
Russian television has shown President Vladimir Putin giving cautious support to Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko's unilateral cease-fire but also saying that any cessation of hostilities is meaningless without "dialogue."
Appearing on the "Rossiya 24" television channel on June 22, Putin said fighting in eastern Ukraine between government forces and pro-Russian separatists needs to stop.
But Putin said reconciliation in Ukraine depends upon a "dialogue among all the warring factions" in order to find solutions that are acceptable to everyone, particularly people in southeastern Ukraine.
Putin also said that there was artillery fire overnight from Ukrainian territory, and that some shells had landed in Russian territory. But he said it was not clear who was responsible for firing those barrages.
Putin did not say where in Russia the artillery shells landed.
Putin has also ordered military forces in central Russia to be on "full combat alert" in a surprise test of their battle readiness.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said the alert in the central military district will last until June 28.
The chief of the Russian General Staff, Valery Gerasimov, said the weeklong drill will involve about 65,000 troops, including airborne forces.
Gerasimov said about 180 military planes, 60 helicopters, and some 5,500 units of military equipment will also be involved.
The drill comes after NATO announced during the past week that Russia has resumed a military build-up on the border with Ukraine.
On June 22, Putin also spoke about the Ukraine crisis in a three-way telephone call with French President Francois Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
According to a statement from the French president's office, Hollande and Merkel "reiterated the importance of ensuring full control of the Russian-Ukrainian border in order to avoid infiltrations of equipment and armed men."
A Kremlin statement stressed the need for Kyiv to start negotiations with "representatives of the protesting regions" in eastern Ukraine.
On June 21, Poroshenko said in a televised speech that he has an alternative plan in case the unilateral cease-fire he declared on June 20 fails to take hold.
Poroshenko said the cease-fire was announced to provide time for pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine to disarm.
But he also said: "For those who hope to use the cease-fire to play for time, to regroup their forces, they have to know -- we have a plan B."
Despite Poroshenko's declaration of a cease-fire, separatist leader Pavel Gubarev told Rossiya-24 TV channel that either Ukrainian forces were not obeying orders or Poroshenko "is lying."
Gubarev, the self-declared "governor" within the separatist movement in Donetsk that has declared an independent "Donetsk People's Republic," says there has been "no cease-fire at all."
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian Border Guard Service said on June 21 that rebel fighters had attacked two border posts and a military base in the eastern Donetsk region.
It said nine border guards were injured in one of the overnight attacks.
Poroshenko has met regional leaders and offered to respect the use of the Russian language in eastern Ukraine.
But he has refused to enter into direct dialogue with separatist leaders.
Russian television has shown President Vladimir Putin giving cautious support to Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko's unilateral cease-fire but also saying that any cessation of hostilities is meaningless without "dialogue."
Appearing on the "Rossiya 24" television channel on June 22, Putin said fighting in eastern Ukraine between government forces and pro-Russian separatists needs to stop.
But Putin said reconciliation in Ukraine depends upon a "dialogue among all the warring factions" in order to find solutions that are acceptable to everyone, particularly people in southeastern Ukraine.
Putin also said that there was artillery fire overnight from Ukrainian territory, and that some shells had landed in Russian territory. But he said it was not clear who was responsible for firing those barrages.
Putin did not say where in Russia the artillery shells landed.
Putin has also ordered military forces in central Russia to be on "full combat alert" in a surprise test of their battle readiness.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said the alert in the central military district will last until June 28.
The chief of the Russian General Staff, Valery Gerasimov, said the weeklong drill will involve about 65,000 troops, including airborne forces.
Gerasimov said about 180 military planes, 60 helicopters, and some 5,500 units of military equipment will also be involved.
The drill comes after NATO announced during the past week that Russia has resumed a military build-up on the border with Ukraine.
On June 22, Putin also spoke about the Ukraine crisis in a three-way telephone call with French President Francois Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
According to a statement from the French president's office, Hollande and Merkel "reiterated the importance of ensuring full control of the Russian-Ukrainian border in order to avoid infiltrations of equipment and armed men."
A Kremlin statement stressed the need for Kyiv to start negotiations with "representatives of the protesting regions" in eastern Ukraine.
On June 21, Poroshenko said in a televised speech that he has an alternative plan in case the unilateral cease-fire he declared on June 20 fails to take hold.
Poroshenko said the cease-fire was announced to provide time for pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine to disarm.
But he also said: "For those who hope to use the cease-fire to play for time, to regroup their forces, they have to know -- we have a plan B."
Despite Poroshenko's declaration of a cease-fire, separatist leader Pavel Gubarev told Rossiya-24 TV channel that either Ukrainian forces were not obeying orders or Poroshenko "is lying."
Gubarev, the self-declared "governor" within the separatist movement in Donetsk that has declared an independent "Donetsk People's Republic," says there has been "no cease-fire at all."
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian Border Guard Service said on June 21 that rebel fighters had attacked two border posts and a military base in the eastern Donetsk region.
It said nine border guards were injured in one of the overnight attacks.
Poroshenko has met regional leaders and offered to respect the use of the Russian language in eastern Ukraine.
But he has refused to enter into direct dialogue with separatist leaders.
06:27
23.6.2014
06:32
23.6.2014
As our news desk reports, the European Union will again discuss the latest events in Ukraine:
The crisis in Ukraine is set to dominate an EU foreign ministers meeting on June 23, just days before Brussels signs a historic association accord with Kyiv.
The Association Agreement due to be signed in Brussels on June 27 is the pact that first sparked the Ukrainian crisis in November 2013.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin will attend the meeting in Luxembourg, chaired by EU foreign-affairs chief Catherine Ashton.
The EU ministers are also due to discuss the situation in Iraq and Afghanistan. (AFP and AP)
The Association Agreement due to be signed in Brussels on June 27 is the pact that first sparked the Ukrainian crisis in November 2013.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin will attend the meeting in Luxembourg, chaired by EU foreign-affairs chief Catherine Ashton.
The EU ministers are also due to discuss the situation in Iraq and Afghanistan. (AFP and AP)
06:48
23.6.2014