Barring any major developments, that ends the live blog for today.
Kyiv announces Russian-food ban:
Ukraine has announced it will ban food products from Russia starting on January 10, a response to a similar ban by Moscow.
The sanctions, published on Ukraine's government website on January 2, include meat, fish, and dairy products as well as vegetables and fruit.
A similar Russian ban came into effect on January 1.
The tit-for-tat moves come in the wake of Ukraine's decision to implement a free-trade pact with the European Union despite Russian opposition.
Russian officials said that the ban on Ukrainian food imports was necessary to protect its internal market, claiming that European products could reach Russia by way of Ukraine without paying import duty.
An initial attempt to finalize the pact had failed in 2013, sparking protests in Kyiv that led to the ouster of Ukraine's pro-Russian president, followed by Russia's annexation of Ukraine's Crimea, and a Russian-backed separatist uprising in eastern Ukraine. (AP, dpa)
Barring any major developments, this ends our live blogging for January 3. Be sure to check back tomorrow for our continuing coverage.