Here's an update from our news desk on Victoria Nuland's visit to Russia.
The Kremlin has described a visit by U.S. Assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs Victoria Nuland as a sign that bilateral relations are improving.
The State Department has said Nuland would be in Moscow on May 17-18 to discuss with senior government officials next steps in the implementation of a cease-fire deal in eastern Ukraine.
The visit comes after Secretary of State John Kerry met with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov last week.
Asked on May 18 if the visit was a sign of improving ties, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists, "Yes, when President Putin was meeting with Minister Lavrov and Secretary of State Kerry... it was mentioned that a closer dialogue ... was needed."
Nuland held separate talks with Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov and veteran human rights campaigner Lyudmila Alekseyeva on May 18.
(With additional reporting by Reuters and Interfax)
Here is a map of the latest military situation in the Donbas region, issued by Ukraine's Defense Ministry (click image to enlarge):
Kyiv says two soldiers killed in fighting:
Ukraine's military says two of its servicemen have been killed and four others wounded in separatist attacks in the country's east.
Military spokesman Andriy Lysenko said on May 18 that the casualties occurred over the past day.
The announcement came after the Ukrainian military claimed to have captured two Russian soldiers fighting alongside pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine.
More than 6,000 people have been killed since clashes began in April 2014 between Ukrainian government forces and separatists in the country's east.
The eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions continue to be embroiled in sporadic fighting despite a cease-fire sealed in mid-February and brokered by Germany and France. (Reuters, AP, UNIAN)