The eastern Ukrainian town of Debaltseve is at the center of the latest clashes between the Ukrainian military and pro-Russian separatists. As shells strike residential areas, some civilians have retreated to their basements for safety. Many have been living without electricity, gas, or water for over a week. Photojournalist Petr Shelomovskiy covered the harsh realities of daily life in Debaltseve for RFE/RL's Current Time TV program.
Debaltseve Residents Seek Shelter Below Ground As Clashes Rage
Germany's Merkel calls for cease-fire, says won't send weapons:
Chancellor Angela Merkel has said Germany won’t provide weapons to Ukraine and called for the urgent restoration of a cease-fire in the country’s east.
Speaking in Budapest on February 2, Merkel voiced support for a diplomatic solution to the Ukraine conflict, which she said "cannot be solved militarily."
She said Germany will not support Kyiv's military forces through deliveries of weapons.
Fighting between Ukrainian government forces and pro-Russian separatists has killed more than 5,100 people since April..
Hopes of ending fighting that is claiming lives daily faded after peace talks fell apart in Minsk on January 31.
In Beijing, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov indicated Moscow's position has not changed, repeating calls for direct talks between Kyiv and separatist leaders.
Lavrov criticized what he called "unreserved" U.S. support for the Ukrainian government, which he claimed is seeking to resolve the conflict by force. (Reuters, AP, Interfax)
These images of dogs and cats in Ukraine's conflict zone illustrate such a wide range of situations and emotions, including many that you might not otherwise associate with war.
Eastern Ukraine: Animals In The Crossfire
Two notable editorial pieces from The New York Times today.
The first is from the paper's Editorial Board under the headline Mr. Putin Resumes His War In Ukraine. Here's an excerpt:
Tempting as it is to focus on punishing Mr. Putin, the greater objective must be to end the fighting so that Ukraine can finally undertake the arduous task of reforming and reviving its economy. Toward that end, the West must make clear to Mr. Putin that if a federation is his goal, the United States and its allies will actively use their good offices with Kiev to seek a workable arrangement.
But if the evidence continues to accumulate that Mr. Putin and the rebels are carving out a permanent rebel-held enclave in eastern Ukraine, à la Transdniestria, Abkhazia or South Ossetia, he must know that the United States and Europe will be compelled to increase the cost.
The other, Putin's Evolution, is a contribution from Vedomosti opinion-page editor and Wilson Center fellow Maksim Trudolyubov. He puts his finger on the dilemma facing Putin critics at home and abroad:
Today Russia continues turning inward. For Mr. Putin, competing with the rest of the world means playing by Western rules; if you don’t, the West freezes your assets and hits you with sanctions. He is fighting back by instilling his country with a war mentality. Russia’s plunging economy is presented as the price of pursuing a noble cause: standing up to America, fighting “fascism” in Ukraine and winning recognition for Russia as a global power.
Why my countrymen seem so receptive to this warmongering is an open question. Mr. Putin has certainly succeeded in clouding Russian perceptions and distorting Russian thinking. No one knows how long this strategy will succeed, but of one thing there is no doubt: For many Russians, Mr. Putin has turned himself into a kind of noble cause.
He concludes by wondering "when the Russian people will snap out of their lethargy and realize that the state and the person leading it are not the same thing."
More extensive quotes from the meeting in Budapest between German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban:
Merkel:
"We agreed that in the conflict between Ukraine and Russia, we must insist that another cease-fire is reached as soon as possible and that the Minsk agreement is a good starting point for achieving a stable position, again in which Ukraine's territorial integrity is safeguarded. Germany will continue to work towards this together with all other European countries."
"At the same time I and others have said that, in view of the trade relationships between Ukraine and Europe, and between Ukraine and Russia on the other side, we should also continue to look in the long term at working on an economic relationship between the Eurasian Union and the European Union and moving towards a common economic area."
"Germany will not support Ukraine with weapons. I am firmly convinced that this conflict cannot be solved militarily and therefore we insist that on the one hand, we will impose sanctions if necessary -- we have done that jointly in Europe -- and on the other hand, we will use all diplomatic means to resolve this conflict through talks, or at least alleviate it."
Orban:
"We think that not all democracies are necessarily democratic and if someone wants to say that a democracy is necessarily liberal, then that person demands privileges for one system of notions which we cannot give."