10:28
17.5.2014
Good morning, picking up the live blog for another day.
From the German press this morning, Ukraine's acting Foreign Minister Andriy Deshchytsya has called on the West to impose tougher sanctions against Russia, which he accused of waging a "hidden war" in eastern Ukraine.
Deshchytsya was speaking in an interview with the German newspaper "Die Welt."
The United States and the European Union have already imposed several rounds of sanctions on Russian individuals and some companies, accusing Russian President Vladimir Putin of stoking the eastern rebellions, a charge Putin has denied.
Deshchytsya said German politicians should be aware "that Russia will not stop at Luhansk and Donetsk" and added that if they do not want to be held responsible for destabilizing the region, the German government has to be tougher toward Russia.
From the German press this morning, Ukraine's acting Foreign Minister Andriy Deshchytsya has called on the West to impose tougher sanctions against Russia, which he accused of waging a "hidden war" in eastern Ukraine.
Deshchytsya was speaking in an interview with the German newspaper "Die Welt."
The United States and the European Union have already imposed several rounds of sanctions on Russian individuals and some companies, accusing Russian President Vladimir Putin of stoking the eastern rebellions, a charge Putin has denied.
Deshchytsya said German politicians should be aware "that Russia will not stop at Luhansk and Donetsk" and added that if they do not want to be held responsible for destabilizing the region, the German government has to be tougher toward Russia.
21:28
16.5.2014
BREAKING: U.S. President Barack Obama has repeated U.S. warnings that Russia will face "additional costs" if it continues its provocative behavior in Ukraine. The White House says Obama made the remark in a telephone conversation with the French President Francois Hollande.
21:21
16.5.2014
19:38
16.5.2014
18:50
16.5.2014
RT correspondent Graham Phillips says he was shot at by Ukrainian troops near Kramatorsk.
RT, however, says he walked into a tripwire flare.
But Phillips is sticking to what he said.
RT, however, says he walked into a tripwire flare.
But Phillips is sticking to what he said.
18:46
16.5.2014
Some more soundbites of Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt speaking today at a news conference in Kyiv.
"I think it is elected representatives of the people in Donetsk or Luhansk, or wherever it is, Kharkiv. Those are the ones that should be [participating in roundtable talks]. And then it is for them really to go out and anchor their policies with the people. Because otherwise, there is a risk if you take steps and say that you'll invite all these green guys with guns to the table, then you sort of delegitimize the democratic institutions of the country."
"We should not create the impression that you can get influence by a gun and that those that are democratically elected are irrelevant. And I said the east is dominated by the Party of Regions. The Party of Regions has gone through and is going through a very difficult time. But we should not forget that during the elections for ex number of years it has been the single largest political party of the country. And they have elected representatives."
"The most important thing to help Ukraine is not what we can do to sort of sanction Russia. Because even if sanctions work, they work fairly long-term. The most important thing is to bring stability to Ukraine. It is the democratic stability of Ukraine, it is the credibility of the economic reforms of Ukraine, it is democratic maturity of Ukraine that at the end of the day is going to decide the outcome of it."
"I think it is elected representatives of the people in Donetsk or Luhansk, or wherever it is, Kharkiv. Those are the ones that should be [participating in roundtable talks]. And then it is for them really to go out and anchor their policies with the people. Because otherwise, there is a risk if you take steps and say that you'll invite all these green guys with guns to the table, then you sort of delegitimize the democratic institutions of the country."
"We should not create the impression that you can get influence by a gun and that those that are democratically elected are irrelevant. And I said the east is dominated by the Party of Regions. The Party of Regions has gone through and is going through a very difficult time. But we should not forget that during the elections for ex number of years it has been the single largest political party of the country. And they have elected representatives."
"The most important thing to help Ukraine is not what we can do to sort of sanction Russia. Because even if sanctions work, they work fairly long-term. The most important thing is to bring stability to Ukraine. It is the democratic stability of Ukraine, it is the credibility of the economic reforms of Ukraine, it is democratic maturity of Ukraine that at the end of the day is going to decide the outcome of it."
17:05
16.5.2014
A Finnish opera singer (pictured above) says she won't perform with Russian conductor Valery Gergiev or any of the other hundreds of Russian cultural figures who expressed support for Russia's annexation of Ukrainian territory, titled "Boycott: Diva Won't Sing With Conductors Who Support Putin."
The Finnish soprano Karita Mattila has told her local paper, the Helsingin Sanomat, that she will not perform with Valery Gergiev or anyone else on the list of 500 Russian artists who endorsed Vladimir Putin’s annexation of Crimea. She has already pulled out of one Carnegie date with him.
The Finns know all about Russian expansionism. They lost East Karelia, ten percent of their territory, in 1945.
The Finns know all about Russian expansionism. They lost East Karelia, ten percent of their territory, in 1945.
16:41
16.5.2014
ITAR-TASS cites a notification on the Ukrainian parliament's website, saying it "has registered a draft resolution on disbanding 'the faction of deputies of the Communist Party of Ukraine.'"
16:39
16.5.2014
From Reuters:
Russia is ready to discuss a gas price discount for Ukraine if Kiev pays off more than the $2.2 billion it owed as of April 1, Energy Minister Alexander Novak said on Friday, as both sides seemed to edge toward a potential compromise.
"We will discuss this (lowering the rate Russia charges Ukraine) if they pay even the debt owed on April 1, and this was $2.237 billion," Novak said. Russia said Kiev's debt to state-controlled Gazprom is now just over $3.5 billion.
"We will discuss this (lowering the rate Russia charges Ukraine) if they pay even the debt owed on April 1, and this was $2.237 billion," Novak said. Russia said Kiev's debt to state-controlled Gazprom is now just over $3.5 billion.
16:12
16.5.2014
From remarks by Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski and Ukrainian acting Foreign Minister Andriy Deshchytsya at their meeting today in Kyiv:
Sikorski: "I want to stress that Poland does not recognize illegal referendums: neither the Crimean one nor the one in Donbas. They are illegal, both from the point of view of Ukrainian law and international law."
Deshchytsya: "The Ukrainian government has enough authority to protect Polish-speaking people in Ukraine in case of Russian aggression, as well as Russian-speaking people in case what happened in Crimea happens again. So I don't think we need Russian protection in Ukraine to execute our own national policies."
Sikorski: "I want to stress that Poland does not recognize illegal referendums: neither the Crimean one nor the one in Donbas. They are illegal, both from the point of view of Ukrainian law and international law."
Deshchytsya: "The Ukrainian government has enough authority to protect Polish-speaking people in Ukraine in case of Russian aggression, as well as Russian-speaking people in case what happened in Crimea happens again. So I don't think we need Russian protection in Ukraine to execute our own national policies."