The trilateral contact group, consisting of representatives from Ukraine, Russia and the OSCE, has begun a new meeting today in Minsk.
The group is expected to develop an agreement concerning the withdrawal of tanks, and weapons with a caliber of less than 100 mm, from the de facto border between separatists and the Ukrainian army. The work on the document began at the beginning of August, but the sides haven’t managed to reach an agreement yet.
According to the Minsk deal, the withdrawal of heavy weapons was supposed to have happened back in February, but both sides accuse each other of violating the agreement.
At a meeting of his Cabinet of Ministers today, President Petro Poroshenko said the grenade thrown at law enforcement officers during a violent demonstration outside parliament on August 31 -- which killed three members of the National Guard -- was meant to provoke return fire. The other grenade, which police found on the detained activist, was meant to be thrown into the windows of the parliament building.
In the Russian city of Chelyabinsk a bust of Lenin has been painted into the colors of the Ukrainian flag for the second time this year.
Russian police have opened a vandalism investigation.
The bust had already painted blue and yellow back in May. On September 2, a 27-year old man was accused of vandalism and detained -- police had found a coat and a pair of gloves stained with paint in his house.
Poland's parliament approved a 100-million euro loan for Ukraine, tweets Ukraine's embassy in Poland. The funds are aimed at developing border infrastructure.