A woman carries a baby as she passes destroyed houses following what locals say was overnight shelling by Ukrainian forces in the eastern town of Slovyansk on June 9.
-- Ukraine's Foreign Ministry says that Moscow and Kyiv have reached a "mutual understanding" on key parts of a plan proposed by President Petro Poroshenko for ending violence in separatist-controlled eastern Ukraine.
-- Reports say up to 20 armed gunmen were trying to seize property from a factory (Topaz) that makes communications and electronic-warfare equipment in the Donetsk region.
-- A deputy foreign minister says Russia will consider any expansion of NATO forces near its borders a "demonstration of hostile intentions" and "take the necessary political and military-technological measures to support our security."
-- A two-man crew for Russian Zvezda TV arrived in Moscow after being released from detention in Ukraine.
-- Serbian officials say their own work on the Russian-backed South Stream gas pipeline will have to be suspended after Bulgaria stopped construction of its portion based on EU and U.S. concerns.
-- Ukrainian security forces are reportedly still battling pro-Russian separatists in the east near Slovyansk and Donetsk.
*NOTE: Times are stated according to local time in Kyiv
New Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko reaffirms Ukraine's European-integration policy. He says he is ready to sign the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement (DCFTA) with the EU, that Kyiv will seek full membership in the EU, and that no one can "veto" Ukraine's European choice.
09:577.6.2014
Here's another update from our news desk on Poroshenko's inauguration in Kyiv:
Ukraine's new President Petro Poroshenko Ukraine has taken the oath of office in a swearing-in ceremony in the country's parliament in Kyiv.
Immediately afterward he told the audience that what Ukraine needs is peace, security, and unity.
He said he would soon visit east Ukraine and would discuss decentralization of power and local demands for guarantees for the status of the Russian language.
He also said he is willing to call local elections in Donbas.
Poroshenko called on insurgents to lay down their arms, offered amnesty for those without blood on their hands, and said he would guarantee a corridor for mercenaries to leave the country.
And he condemned Russia's annexation of Crimea, which he said was, is, and will be Ukrainian soil.
Among those attending the June 7 ceremony were U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, Belarus President Alyaksandr Lukashenka, and the Russian charge d'affaires in Kyiv.
09:597.6.2014
And, in case you were wondering what Ukraine's new first lady, Maryna Poroshenko, is wearing today:
10:007.6.2014
Former presidents in the gallery:
10:017.6.2014
It wouldn't be an inauguration without some soldiers:
10:087.6.2014
Poroshenko now out and about on the streets:
10:187.6.2014
Russsia's state RT network is promoting an "exclusive interview" with French nationalist leader Marine Le Pen, head of France's National Front. In the interview, which will be aired on June 9, Le Pen accuses the European Union of "blackmailing" Ukraine into breaking its "allied relations with Russia." In the Russian-language promo for the interview, Le Pen is quoted as saying Ukraine will not enter the EU because its economy is too weak. She said the EU's encouragement to Ukraine is a "lie" and "a promise that we know we cannot keep."
Marine Le Pen (file photo)
10:217.6.2014
For those who cannot get enough, here is the complete video of Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko's inauguration and speech:
10:287.6.2014
Speaking at the Wroclaw Global Forum (#WGF14), Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski said a democratic Ukraine would be a threat to Russian President Vladimir Putin in Russia. Sikorski said that Russia projects "an illusion of strength" on the basis of an economy less than three times the size of Poland's. He accused the Kremlin of promoting "tribal nationalism."
