The meeting Holmov refers to is now only about 3 1/2 hours away:
Good morning. We'll start the live blog today with this update from our news desk:
U.S. President Barack Obama spoke by phone with German Chancellor Angela Merkel about the recent upsurge in violence in eastern Ukraine, the White House said on August 26.
Obama noted Ukraine's progress in implementing its obligations under the Minsk agreements, and reiterated that Russia must do the same, according to a White House statement.
The statement said the recent violence had resulted from increased attacks by combined Russian-separatist forces across a line of contact established under the Minsk accords.
Obama also expressed his appreciation for Merkel's leadership on the migration crisis in Europe, mentioning in particular her recent decision to ease the burden on border countries by providing a haven to Syrian refugees.
The surge in migrants seeking refuge from conflict or poverty in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia has left Europe facing its worst refugee crisis since World War Two.
(Reuters, AP, dpa)
This ends our live blogging on Ukraine for August 26. Be sure to check back tomorrow for our continuing coverage.
Ukraine negotiators call for truce from Sept 1:
The warring sides in the conflict in eastern Ukraine have agreed to strive for an end to all truce violations from September 1 -- the day the new school year is to begin.
The OSCE special representative in Ukraine, Martin Sajdik, said on August 26 that the sides "agreed to jointly verify the fulfillment of this initiative."
He was speaking after representatives of Ukraine, Russia, and separatists met under the auspices of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in the Belarusian capital, Minsk.
"Today there is a hope that from September 1 we will succeed fully in ending the firing," rebel representative Vladislav Deinego said. "At the moment all sides have expressed the intention of abiding by this idea."
Fighting between Ukrainian forces and Russian-backed separatists has killed at least 6,400 people in eastern Ukraine since April 2014.
A cease-fire agreement reached in Minsk in February has been regularly violated. (Reuters, AP)
Report With Tally Of 'Russian War Casualties' Causes Stir
A Russian-language website has caused a stir with a report asserting that more than 2,000 Russian soldiers have been killed in the conflict in eastern Ukraine. Read more