19:51
23.4.2014
19:54
23.4.2014
Barring any dramatic developments, we are now closing the live blog for today. Before you go, we'll leave you with another update from our news desk, this time with respect to gas supplies:
The European Commission says Energy Commissioner Guenther Oettinger will meet with Slovakian and Ukrainian ministers on April 24 in Bratislava to discuss the possibility of "reverse flows" to pump gas to Ukraine.
Oettinger's talks with Ukrainian Energy Minister Yuriy Prodan and Slovakian Economy Minister Tomas Malatinsky follow Russia's warning that it could cut gas supplies to Ukraine unless Kyiv pays its energy bills, which Moscow says amount to $2.2 billion.
In a related development, the Interfax news agency reported that Russia has offered to host trilateral talks between the European Union, Russia, and Ukraine in Moscow on April 28 to discuss gas supplies to Europe.
The European Commission has not confirmed the timing of these talks.
About one-third of Europe's gas comes from Russia via Ukraine. A pricing dispute between Kyiv and Moscow in early 2009 caused a crisis over gas shortages in Europe.
Oettinger's talks with Ukrainian Energy Minister Yuriy Prodan and Slovakian Economy Minister Tomas Malatinsky follow Russia's warning that it could cut gas supplies to Ukraine unless Kyiv pays its energy bills, which Moscow says amount to $2.2 billion.
In a related development, the Interfax news agency reported that Russia has offered to host trilateral talks between the European Union, Russia, and Ukraine in Moscow on April 28 to discuss gas supplies to Europe.
The European Commission has not confirmed the timing of these talks.
About one-third of Europe's gas comes from Russia via Ukraine. A pricing dispute between Kyiv and Moscow in early 2009 caused a crisis over gas shortages in Europe.
05:28
24.4.2014
U.S. President Barack Obama says during a visit to Japan that Russia is not abiding by the April 18 Geneva agreement intended to de-escalate the crisis in Ukraine. "So far, at least," he says. He adds that if Russia does not fulfill the terms of the agreement the U.S. "will ramp up further sanctions." "There are some things the United States can do alone," Obama says, "but ultimately it's going to have to be a joint effort, a collective effort."
05:29
24.4.2014
Former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said she thinks international sanctions against Russia over the crisis in Ukraine must be "tightened and widened." Speaking at the University of Connecticut, Clinton said Russia will pay "a big price" for its intervention in Ukraine. She said the West must be "very clear, strong, and to some extent patient" in order to pressure Putin. She also accused Putin of "trying to turn the clock back to the Soviet Union days."
05:41
24.4.2014
EU Energy Commissioner Guenther Oettinger and Ukrainian Fuel and Energy Minister Yuriy Prodan are both in the Slovak capital today, where they are expected to discuss possible ways for Bratislava to ship gas to Ukraine.
Russian and European officials could meet soon -- on Moscow's invitation -- to discuss gas supplies to Ukraine, which Moscow has threatened with a cutoff over late payments and hit with a recent price hike.
Russian and European officials could meet soon -- on Moscow's invitation -- to discuss gas supplies to Ukraine, which Moscow has threatened with a cutoff over late payments and hit with a recent price hike.
05:57
24.4.2014
Powerful video (in Czech and Ukrainian) from our Ukrainian Service of a symbolic event in a Prague park yesterday to honor the 107 people who've died in Euromaidan-related incidents in Ukraine since November. Former Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg participated, saying that while he supports "broad dialogue with the Russian Federation," there are also times when people must assert their positions and "defend freedom and defend democracy, not merely discuss it."
06:02
24.4.2014
Ukrainian authorities continue their search for two activists who went missing at or on their way to Euromaidan demonstrations.
06:12
24.4.2014
07:01
24.4.2014
Reuters quotes Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov as saying he expects the Geneva agreement on Ukraine to be implemented in practical steps "in the near future."
07:10
24.4.2014