Mine kills seven Ukrainian soldiers:
Seven Ukrainian servicemen have been killed in eastern Ukraine when a truck they were travelling in struck a land mine.
The incident happened on June 8 about 15 kilometers outside of the city of Donetsk, which is a stronghold of Russia-backed separatists, according to a Facebook statement by the Ukrainian military.
The statement said the truck hit an antitank mine planted by the separatists. The separatists have made no statement on the incident.
Kyiv says more than 100 Ukrainian military personnel and some 50 civilians have been killed in eastern Ukraine since a cease-fire deal was signed in Minsk in February.
The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Monitoring Mission in eastern Ukraine says violations of the truce are becoming increasingly frequent and severe. (AP, AFP)
This ends our live blogging for June 8. Be sure to check back tomorrow for our continuing coverage.
Obama Accuses Putin Of Wrecking Russia's Economy For 'Glory'
By RFE/RL
U.S. President Barack Obama has accused President Vladimir Putin of wrecking Russia's economy in a doomed drive to re-create the glories of the Soviet empire.
In some of the strongest rhetoric to come out of the Group of Seven summit, Obama told a news conference in Bavaria, Germany, that the Russian people were suffering severely because of Putin, who was not present with other world leaders because he was ousted from the exclusive club of economic powers after Russia's takeover of Crimea last year.
"As we've seen again in recent days, Russian forces continue to operate in eastern Ukraine, violating Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity," Obama said.
"Russia is in deep recession. So Russia's actions in Ukraine are hurting Russia and hurting the Russian people," he said.
"Ultimately, this is going to be an issue for Mr. Putin. He's got to make a decision," Obama said of his Russian counterpart. "Does he continue to wreck his country's economy and continue Russia's isolation in pursuit of a wrong-headed desire to re-create the glories of the Soviet empire, or does he recognize that Russia's greatness does not depend on violating the territorial integrity and sovereignty of other countries?"
More sanctions will be the consequence if Putin chooses to continue his current course, Obama said.
"If Russia, working through separatists, doubles down on aggression inside of Ukraine," then the United States and European Union will increase their sanctions, he said.
A communique issued by the G7 said that the broad economic sanctions already in place will continue until the Minsk cease-fire accords signed between the Ukrainian government and pro-Russian rebels are fully implemented.
"We expect Russia to stop transborder support of separatist forces and to use its considerable influence over the separatists," the declaration said.
The Kremlin did not directly answer Obama's accusations but played down Putin's absence from the summit, saying he preferred "other formats" that were more effective and better reflected the balance of global economic power.
"It's impossible now to get together in seven or eight people and effectively discuss global problems," the RIA news agency quoted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying.
With reporting by Reuters, dpa, and AFP
Russia Denies Starting Oil-For-Goods Swap With Iran
Russian officials said June 8 it was too soon to say when an oil-for-goods arrangement with Iran would start, despite earlier reports that Moscow had already begun delivering on the deal.
The deal could help Moscow, which faces Western sanctions over the Ukraine crisis, by strengthening its foothold in Iran. But there is no agreement yet between Tehran and world powers on Iran's nuclear program that would relax sanctions on the Islamic republic.
Russia's food-safety regulator said June 8 that grain sales to Iran had begun, RIA news agency reported, though the regulator later backed off that claim.
Iran's Fars news agency, moreover, quoted Iran's oil minister June 6 as saying Russia would begin oil imports from Tehran this week.
But the Russian Energy Ministry later said it was too early to talk about starting the deal.
Russia hopes to act as an intermediary selling oil for Iran under the swap arrangement, which Iran's ambassador to Moscow estimated was worth $70 billion.
Based on reporting by Reuters and TASS
An opinion piece by Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk:
An excerpt:
No one should have any doubt what is at stake. The great achievement of a “Europe whole and free” that marked the end of the Cold War is under direct attack from resurgent Russian authoritarianism and imperialism. Ukraine is bearing the brunt of that attack, but the consequences of allowing our independence to be crushed would not be contained within Ukraine. It would give rise to new threats and crises that would be even more difficult and costly to resolve. The democratic idea itself would be undermined.
Ukraine Firemen Killed In Fuel Depot Blast
Ukraine’s Interior Minister Arsen Avakov has said a powerful explosion has killed a number of firemen as they fought to control a blazing fuel depot which had burned through the night outside the capital.
Arsen said on Twitter on June 9 that the explosion took place near the town of Vasylkiv, 30 kilometers from Kyiv.
Emergency services said at least five workers were injured.