08:29
8.5.2014
#Donetsk referendum graffiti still evident but will it still be relevant by Sunday ? pic.twitter.com/OBdBaZSMoX
— Eleanor Montague (@EleanorMontague) May 8, 2014
08:28
8.5.2014
How do people in #Ukraine see EU influence? 33% bad; 45% good. US? 38% bad; 38% good. Russia? 67% bad; 22% good. http://t.co/IZqZby68t9
— Paul Sonne (@PaulSonne) May 8, 2014
08:00
8.5.2014
Good Morning. We'll get the live blog rolling today with news of new nationwide surveys by the Pew Research Center which indicate that "a clear majority of Ukrainians agree that their country should remain a single, unified state."
Among Ukrainians, 77% say Ukraine should remain united, compared with 14% who think regions should be permitted to secede if they so desire. In Ukraine’s west, which includes the central region around Kyiv (Kiev), as well as portions of the country that border Poland, Slovakia and Hungary, more than nine-in-ten (93%) think their nation should remain unified. A smaller majority (70%) in the country’s east – which includes areas along the Black Sea and the border with Russia – also prefer unity. Only in the breakaway territory of Crimea do more than half (54%) voice support for the right to secede.
Read more here
20:38
7.5.2014
Breaking from our news desk:
U.S. President Barack Obama plans to halt Russia's eligibility for trade benefits under a program that assists developing countries.
The move comes as Washington seeks to punish Russia over its annexation of Crimea and for its role in destabilizing eastern and southern Ukraine.
Obama notified the U.S. Congress on May 7 that he intends to withdraw Russia's access to the Generalized System of Preferences program, which exempts eligible countries from tariffs on certain goods.
Russia was the program's ninth-largest beneficiary last year, with $296 million in tariff discounts on goods it sends to the United States.
The White House cited Russia's "sufficiently advanced" economy as the basis for the decision.
The announcement did not specifically mention the Ukraine crisis.
But it follows U.S. sanctions against Russian officials and businesses close to Russian President Vladimir Putin's inner circle.
The move comes as Washington seeks to punish Russia over its annexation of Crimea and for its role in destabilizing eastern and southern Ukraine.
Obama notified the U.S. Congress on May 7 that he intends to withdraw Russia's access to the Generalized System of Preferences program, which exempts eligible countries from tariffs on certain goods.
Russia was the program's ninth-largest beneficiary last year, with $296 million in tariff discounts on goods it sends to the United States.
The White House cited Russia's "sufficiently advanced" economy as the basis for the decision.
The announcement did not specifically mention the Ukraine crisis.
But it follows U.S. sanctions against Russian officials and businesses close to Russian President Vladimir Putin's inner circle.
18:56
7.5.2014
Unless there any late-breaking developments, that ends our blogging for May 7. Please see RFERL.org for the latest Ukraine coverage.
18:38
7.5.2014
The West continues to cast doubt Putin's statement of Russian withdrawal from Ukraine border:
18:35
7.5.2014
18:33
7.5.2014
17:30
7.5.2014
17:28
7.5.2014