Ukraine Ceasefire

The leaders of Germany, France and Russia met on Saturday and agreed on the importance of implementing a ceasefire in eastern Ukraine, agreed under the Minsk accords, a German government spokesman said.

A ceasefire agreement signed in February 2015 in Minsk that aims to end the conflict between Ukrainian government forces and pro-Russian separatists has failed to end artillery fighting.

President Francois Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel support a deal struck by the trilateral contact group in Ukraine for a general ceasefire which must be implemented by the start of the school year, an Elysee statement said on Thursday.

US Secretary of State John Kerry was due to visit Kiev on Thursday to discuss Ukraine's reforms and a fragile ceasefire in eastern Ukraine where Russian-backed separatists are fighting government forces.

Russia's President Vladimir Putin said today it was welcome that fighting had stopped in eastern Ukraine, a change in rhetoric compared to his previous accusations against Ukraine for violating a ceasefire.

Ukraine and pro-Russian separatists, in a gesture to shore up a tenuous ceasefire, agreed on Wednesday to strive for an end to all truce violations from next Tuesday, the OSCE and rebel representatives said.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry expressed "grave concern" to his Russian counterpart on Thursday over a sharp rise in separatist attacks in eastern Ukraine and urged an immediate ceasefire, the State Department said.

France's President Francois Hollande on Thursday denounced as "unacceptable" ceasefire violations in eastern Ukraine, after speaking briefly with his Ukrainian counterpart Petro Poroshenko in Germany.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Sunday said there was still no genuine ceasefire in eastern Ukraine as she paid a visit to Moscow to commemorate millions of Soviet soldiers and civilians who died in WWII.

The French, German, Russian and Ukrainian foreign ministers will meet in Berlin Monday for a follow-up on the fragile ceasefire agreed in February to end a year of bloody war in eastern Ukraine.

A Ukrainian military helicopter crashed near the capital Kiev today, killing the pilot and two crew members, the defence ministry said.

American lawmakers voted overwhelmingly on Monday to urge President Barack Obama to provide Ukraine with lethal weapons to defend itself against Russian "aggression."

Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk warned EU leaders on Thursday to keep the pressure on Russia and not allow President Vladimir Putin to exploit their differences over sanctions.

Ukraine's president accused Russian-backed separatists in the east of failing to respect a ceasefire with Ukrainian troops and called for further sanctions on Russia in comments to a German newspaper to be published on Monday.

Germany and other countries want European Union leaders to endorse a declaration saying that EU sanctions on Russia will not be eased unless Moscow complies with a Ukraine ceasefire deal, two officials said on Saturday.

The leaders of Germany, France and Russia met on Saturday and agreed on the importance of implementing a ceasefire in eastern Ukraine, agreed under the Minsk accords, a German government spokesman said.

A ceasefire agreement signed in February 2015 in Minsk that aims to end the conflict between Ukrainian government forces and pro-Russian separatists has failed to end artillery fighting.

President Francois Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel support a deal struck by the trilateral contact group in Ukraine for a general ceasefire which must be implemented by the start of the school year, an Elysee statement said on Thursday.

US Secretary of State John Kerry was due to visit Kiev on Thursday to discuss Ukraine's reforms and a fragile ceasefire in eastern Ukraine where Russian-backed separatists are fighting government forces.

Russia's President Vladimir Putin said today it was welcome that fighting had stopped in eastern Ukraine, a change in rhetoric compared to his previous accusations against Ukraine for violating a ceasefire.

Ukraine and pro-Russian separatists, in a gesture to shore up a tenuous ceasefire, agreed on Wednesday to strive for an end to all truce violations from next Tuesday, the OSCE and rebel representatives said.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry expressed "grave concern" to his Russian counterpart on Thursday over a sharp rise in separatist attacks in eastern Ukraine and urged an immediate ceasefire, the State Department said.

France's President Francois Hollande on Thursday denounced as "unacceptable" ceasefire violations in eastern Ukraine, after speaking briefly with his Ukrainian counterpart Petro Poroshenko in Germany.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Sunday said there was still no genuine ceasefire in eastern Ukraine as she paid a visit to Moscow to commemorate millions of Soviet soldiers and civilians who died in WWII.

The French, German, Russian and Ukrainian foreign ministers will meet in Berlin Monday for a follow-up on the fragile ceasefire agreed in February to end a year of bloody war in eastern Ukraine.

A Ukrainian military helicopter crashed near the capital Kiev today, killing the pilot and two crew members, the defence ministry said.

American lawmakers voted overwhelmingly on Monday to urge President Barack Obama to provide Ukraine with lethal weapons to defend itself against Russian "aggression."

Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk warned EU leaders on Thursday to keep the pressure on Russia and not allow President Vladimir Putin to exploit their differences over sanctions.

Ukraine's president accused Russian-backed separatists in the east of failing to respect a ceasefire with Ukrainian troops and called for further sanctions on Russia in comments to a German newspaper to be published on Monday.

Germany and other countries want European Union leaders to endorse a declaration saying that EU sanctions on Russia will not be eased unless Moscow complies with a Ukraine ceasefire deal, two officials said on Saturday.