Nine Ukrainian convicts were handed over to officials by representatives of the rebels.
An Interfax report on a meeting of top U.S. and Ukrainian military officials:
KYIV. July 8 (Interfax) -- Ukrainian armed forces chief of staff
Col. Gen. Viktor Muzhenko discussed the military-political situation in
Donbas and prospects for rendering aid to Ukrainian military servicemen
with U.S. Army Chief of Staff Gen. Raymond Odierno.
"During the meeting, we discussed security within the ATO
[antiterrorist operation in southeastern Ukraine] area, the planning of
joint training events to be held in the second half of 2015 and in 2016,
and also opportunities for providing material-technological aid to the
Ukrainian armed forces," Muzhenko said on his Facebook account on
Wednesday following a meeting with Odierno and the Commander of the U.S.
Army in Europe Lt. Gen. Frederick 'Ben' Hodges.
New Latvian president warns about the danger of Russian aggression in inaugural speech.
Latvian President Raimonds Vejonis was on Wednesday sworn into office, becoming the first Green head of state in the European Union and pledging to make national security his top priority.
"Today, many in Europe have woken up from a deep slumber. Our neighbouring country's aggression in Ukraine proves that military and technological security still matters," he told parliament, referring to concerns over Russian activity in the region.
"And we must affirm that not only in words, but also in actions."
The 49-year-old Green Party member was elected president of the NATO and eurozone member state last month in a controversial secret parliamentary ballot.
He replaces centrist president Andris Berzins, who took office in 2011 and did not stand for re-election.
Vejonis served as defence minister from 2014 and took a tough stance on Soviet-era master Russia after it annexed Crimea from Ukraine last year and increased its military presence in the Baltic Sea and regional air space.