Here is today's map of the security situation in eastern Ukraine, according to the National Security and Defense Council (CLICK TO ENLARGE):
In today's Daily Vertical, RFE/RL's Brian Whitmore looks at the strange endgame in the Donbas:
Ukraine eyes gas imports from Romania
KIEV, May 19 (Reuters) - Ukraine is interested in importing Romanian natural gas to diversify its supplies, a senior Ukrainian energy official said on Tuesday.
"They (Romania) are looking for a market, while this gas is interesting for us as a diversification (of supplies)," Ihor Prokopiv, the president of Ukraine's gas transport monopoly Ukrtransgaz, told reporters.
Prokopiv said Romania was likely to have up to 2 billion cubic meters of free gas available for exports in 2016.
Ukraine, which used to cover most of its gas needs with supplies from Russia, has started buying gas from the European Union too in a bid to reduce bills and lessen its energy dependence on Moscow.
Kiev now buys 50 percent of its imported gas from Slovakia, Poland and Hungary, the rest is supplied by Russia, according to Ukrtransgaz data.
Romania already exports its gas to Moldova, Ukraine's south-western neighbour. The pipeline that links the Romanian and Moldovan gas transport systems has the capacity to pump up to 1.5 billion cubic metres of gas per year.
In April, Ukraine signed an interim deal for cheaper supplies of gas from Russia for the next three months.
Under the deal Ukraine will buy Russian gas at $248 per thousand cubic metres in April-June. This compares with the $329 it was paying for the same volume under the agreement for the past winter.
NATO's Stoltenberg Tells Russia's Lavrov To End Support To Ukraine Rebels
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg says he has told Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov that Moscow must end its support for the separatists in eastern Ukraine.
Stoltenberg spoke in Brussels on May 19 after holding talks with Lavrov on the sidelines of the annual session of the Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers.
He also told reporters he had informed Lavrov that he was concerned about the large number of military exercises carried out by Russia at short notice.
"We also discussed the need for transparency, especially when we have an increased military presence along our borders.” He said. “For NATO it is important to do whatever we can to avoid that incidents are spiraling out of control."
Relations between NATO and Moscow have dropped to their lowest point since the Cold War after Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula in March 2014.
The alliance also accuses Russia of backing separatists in Ukraine's east with troops and weapons, which Moscow denies.
Based on reporting by Reuters
Ukraine takes step toward debt-payment freeze:
Ukraine's cash-starved government says it has asked parliament to approve a law granting the cabinet "the right, if necessary, to stop payments to foreign debt holders."
In a statement on May 19, the government said, "In case of an attack by unscrupulous creditors on Ukraine, this moratorium will protect state assets and the state sector."
The move comes as Kyiv is trying to reach a deal with creditors by next month that would save it $15.3 billion over the coming four years and avoid default.
A successful agreement would guarantee the release of the next instalment of a $17.5 billion International Monetary Fund loan.
But the talks have soured over the past week, as bondholders repeated objections to any write-down on the principal owed. (Reuters, AFP)