18:51
13.4.2014
EU High Representative Catherine Ashton issues this statement on the situation in eastern Ukraine:
"I am gravely concerned about the surge of actions undertaken by armed individuals and
separatist groups in various cities of Eastern Ukraine, who have seized in the last 24 hours
police stations and branches of the Ministry of Interior and erected check points around the
city of Slavyansk. The OSCE Special Monitoring Mission plays and must continue to play a
crucial role in actively observing and reporting about these developments and thus
contributing to prevent a further escalation of the situation.
I reiterate the EU's strong support for Ukraine’s unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity
and call upon Russia to do so as well. To this end, the Russian Federation is urged to call back
its troops from the Ukrainian border and to cease any further actions aimed at destabilising
Ukraine.
The EU commends the Ukrainian authorities for pursuing their law and order operations in a
measured way, in order to establish the authority of the state.
I encourage the government in Kyiv to contribute further to reducing tensions and call upon
Ukraine to ensure free and fair Presidential elections on 25 May as the best way to express
the citizens' will. The EU looks forward to the work of Verkhovna Rada on constitutional reform,
through an inclusive process and with the support of the Council of Europe, including its Venice Commission.
I look forward to the talks with Ukraine, Russia and the United States, scheduled to take
place on 17 April in Geneva, and the start of a meaningful dialogue which should contribute
to de-escalating and stabilising the situation in and around Ukraine."
separatist groups in various cities of Eastern Ukraine, who have seized in the last 24 hours
police stations and branches of the Ministry of Interior and erected check points around the
city of Slavyansk. The OSCE Special Monitoring Mission plays and must continue to play a
crucial role in actively observing and reporting about these developments and thus
contributing to prevent a further escalation of the situation.
I reiterate the EU's strong support for Ukraine’s unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity
and call upon Russia to do so as well. To this end, the Russian Federation is urged to call back
its troops from the Ukrainian border and to cease any further actions aimed at destabilising
Ukraine.
The EU commends the Ukrainian authorities for pursuing their law and order operations in a
measured way, in order to establish the authority of the state.
I encourage the government in Kyiv to contribute further to reducing tensions and call upon
Ukraine to ensure free and fair Presidential elections on 25 May as the best way to express
the citizens' will. The EU looks forward to the work of Verkhovna Rada on constitutional reform,
through an inclusive process and with the support of the Council of Europe, including its Venice Commission.
I look forward to the talks with Ukraine, Russia and the United States, scheduled to take
place on 17 April in Geneva, and the start of a meaningful dialogue which should contribute
to de-escalating and stabilising the situation in and around Ukraine."
19:02
13.4.2014
Crimean leader Sergei Aksyonov tweets that if Kyiv launches a military operation, "without the right," then "the courteous" would be legally justified in entering Ukrainian territory.
19:09
13.4.2014
OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Swiss Foreign Minister Didier Burkhalter, has called on all sides to act responsibly and to avoid further violence in eastern Ukraine.
In an April 13 press release, Burkhalter expressed concerns over incidents in Donetsk Oblast and in Kharkiv:
"In the light of recent developments, most notably in Slavjansk where clashes occurred and OSCE monitoring teams are also following the course of events on the ground, the tense situation could spiral in a menacing direction."
He added that he will travel to Kyiv and hold talks with members of the interim government and the Special Monitoring Mission on April 14.
19:32
13.4.2014
From our news desk:
Russia’s Foreign Ministry says Moscow will put an urgent discussion of the situation in eastern Ukraine on the agenda of the UN and the OSCE. It called on authorities in Kyiv to stop waging war against their own people. The statement said "It is now the West's responsibility to prevent civil war in Ukraine."
19:42
13.4.2014
07:33
14.4.2014
Good morning. The White House has issued a fact sheet titled "Russian Fiction: The Sequel
Ten More False Claims about Ukraine," which has since been doing the rounds on Twitter:
Ten More False Claims about Ukraine," which has since been doing the rounds on Twitter:
Ten more false Russian claims about Ukraine. http://t.co/zil6XnGwro
— Geoffrey Pyatt (@GeoffPyatt) April 14, 2014
07:34
14.4.2014
Meanwhile in Russia:
Moscow now offers a how-to guide for Russians who want to raise hell in Ukraine, and it's working http://t.co/a8uH31IRaB
— The Daily Beast (@thedailybeast) April 14, 2014
07:46
14.4.2014
The price of Russian gas has been a major bone of contention between Moscow and Kyiv in recent days. The head of Ukraine's central bank has had this to say on the subject (as reported by RFE/RL's newsdesk):
Stepan Kubiv, the Governor of Ukraine's National Bank, says Kyiv is prepared to pay Russia about $386 per 1,000 cubic meters of gas, below the amount Moscow had demanded.
But Kubiv said that Ukraine will pay all its gas debts.
Moscow this month raised the price it charges Kyiv for gas by 80 percent, to $485 per 1,000 cubic meters, and said it awaits $2.2 billion in unpaid bills.
Speaking on April 13 in Washington on the sidelines of the IMF-World Bank meetings in the U.S. capital, Kubiv also said Russia's further incursions into eastern Ukraine would have serious macroeconomic consequences.
Ukraine is set to receive a two-year, $14 billion to $18 billion IMF loan package by early May in exchange for implementing tough economic reforms such as raising energy prices and floating its currency.
Stepan Kubiv, the Governor of Ukraine's National Bank, says Kyiv is prepared to pay Russia about $386 per 1,000 cubic meters of gas, below the amount Moscow had demanded.
But Kubiv said that Ukraine will pay all its gas debts.
Moscow this month raised the price it charges Kyiv for gas by 80 percent, to $485 per 1,000 cubic meters, and said it awaits $2.2 billion in unpaid bills.
Speaking on April 13 in Washington on the sidelines of the IMF-World Bank meetings in the U.S. capital, Kubiv also said Russia's further incursions into eastern Ukraine would have serious macroeconomic consequences.
Ukraine is set to receive a two-year, $14 billion to $18 billion IMF loan package by early May in exchange for implementing tough economic reforms such as raising energy prices and floating its currency.
07:47
14.4.2014
The international news editor of Britain's Channel 4 has been tweeting from Donetsk:
Good morning #Donetsk. You look wet, misty and quiet. Where's the #Ukrainian govt 'anti terror' operation?
— Lindsey Hilsum (@lindseyhilsum) April 14, 2014
08:00
14.4.2014