World News liveblog
Reuters live coverage of events around the world. Follow @ReutersWorld on Twitter for top news and @ReutersLive for live video events.
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Relax, Eastern Ukraine is not forcing it's Jews to register. From @juliaioffe newrepublic.com/article/117415…by tnr via twitter 4/17/2014 6:57:29 PM -
Kerry says there will be additional sanctions on Russia if it does not carry out four-way agreement on calming tensions in Ukraine. -
U.S., Russia, Ukraine, EU working on a joint statement but no agreement yet. Talks continue.: Western official -
Russia demands swift clarification on Ukrainian border restrictions, says it may take retaliatory measures: Foreign Ministry statement
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#Ukraine talks in Geneva w/ @JohnKerry @mfa_russia at same hotel where @HillaryClinton gave Lavrov reset button 5 yrs ago.by Elise Labott via twitter 4/17/2014 2:56:10 PM -
Reader comment: When will the conference start ? -
America’s peacetime retreat from Europe now limits options in #Ukraine - Washington Times: wtim.es/1isPZFjby washtimes via twitter 4/17/2014 1:43:18 PM -
Geneva talks on Ukraine aim for written 'solution': source
GENEVA - Four-party talks to resolve the crisis in Ukraine are working on a written document that will be published later on Thursday if the talks go well, a diplomatic source with knowledge of the talks said.
"I know that they are working on a solution to the problem. They are working on something written," said the source, who requested anonymity.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton and Ukraine's acting Foreign Minister Andriy Deshchytsia returned to their four-way meeting after lunch, changing plans for the meeting to break up after one session.
(Reporting by Tom Miles; Editing by John Stonestreet) -
As much as today’s geopolitical standoff may portray the Ukraine crisis as a choice between East or West, the popular upheaval has been primarily a striving for better governance, more effective institutions and a state that first and foremost serves its people. It is as much about geoeconomics as geopolitics. In this sense, achieving a sustainable growth path with benefits distributed equally across society could be the most effective way of rebuilding trust within Ukraine’s fractured economy.
- Read more at the World Economic Forum -
Four-party Geneva talks on Ukraine are working on a written "solution to the problem": diplomatic source with knowledge of the talks
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NATO denies Putin's allegation that Rasmussen secretly taped a conversation with him, says Russia seeks to divert attention from its actions in Ukraine
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Russian airline says Ukraine will restrict entry of Russian men
MOSCOW - Aeroflot on Thursday said Ukraine has informed the Russian airline it will impose tight restrictions on the entry of Russian men into the country, where pro-Russian separatist rebellions have broken out.
"Aeroflot is informing passengers about strict restrictions imposed by the Ukrainian authorities on entry into the country," the company said in a statement. It indicated men between the ages of 16 and 60 would be denied entry unless they had proof of a reason to visit, such as family ties or an invitation from a business or individual, or were traveling with their families.
(Reporting by Alissa de Carbonnel; Editing by Steve Gutterman) -
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People attend Russian President Vladimir Putin's live broadcast nationwide phone-in in Moscow April 17, 2014. Putin on Thursday did not rule out sending Russian troops into eastern Ukraine but said he hoped he would not need to, and that diplomacy would serve to resolve the crisis there. REUTERS/Alexei Druzhinin/RIA Novosti/Kremlin
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.@JohnKerry continues talks w/ @MFA_Russia Lavrov, @EU_EEAS Ashton & #Ukraine FM Deshchytsia. Upcoming press avail. Follow @StateDeptLive .by Department of State via twitter 4/17/2014 1:22:26 PM -
EU agrees to Putin's call for gas security talks
The European Union told Russian President Vladimir Putin it is willing to hold talks with Moscow and Kiev on gas security as the bloc scrambles to defuse a deep political crisis over Russia's annexation of Crimea.
European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, replying to a letter Putin sent last week to 18 EU countries, accepted Putin's proposal for three-way talks.
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Putin must be stopped. The sooner the cheaper - @Breakingviews column: breakingviews.com/sanctions-on-r… #Ukraineby Pierre Briançon via twitter 4/17/2014 1:17:24 PM -
U.S. government is in talks with business community about Russia sanctions but has not specifically asked companies not to invest there: administration officials
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LEADERS: Russia and Ukraine: Insatiable econ.st/1gGFOfIby TheEconomistRSS via twitter 4/16/2014 3:24:56 PM -
Invasion in Sloviansk looks more like town holiday. People take pictures of their children with green men, overall happy with turn of eventsby Leonid Ragozin via twitter 4/16/2014 11:54:50 AM -
NATO agrees steps to bolster security of eastern allies
BRUSSELS - Military alliance NATO said on Wednesday it had decided on a series of immediate steps to reinforce its forces in eastern Europe because of the Ukraine crisis.
"You will see deployments at sea, in the air, on land to take place immediately, that means within days," NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen told a news conference after the decisions were taken by NATO ambassadors.
NATO fighter aircraft will fly more sorties over the Baltic region, allied ships will deploy to the Baltic sea, the eastern Mediterranean and elsewhere, and allied military staff will be sent out to improve NATO’s preparedness, training and exercises, Rasmussen said.
(Reporting by Adrian Croft) -
Russia mulls lawsuit against United States in WTO over sanctions
MOSCOW - Russia is looking at the possibility of filing a lawsuit against the United States in the World Trade Organisation over sanctions hitting Russian banks, Economy Minister Alexei Ulyukayev said on Wednesday, according to Russian news agencies.
St Petersburg-based Bank Rossiya was sanctioned alongside its chairman and largest shareholder Yuri Kovalchuk in March as part of punitive measures by Washington over Russia's annexation of Crimea.
Russian bank SMP was also indirectly affected as co-owners Boris Rotenberg and his older brother Arkady fell under U.S. sanctions. SMP chief executive Dmitry Kalantyrsky has said that an estimated 9 billion roubles ($249 million) had been withdrawn after the sanctions were imposed.
"The WTO gives us some additional possibilities," Ulyukayev was quoted by Interfax as saying on Wednesday. "We at the WTO council in Geneva talked about the possibility of filing lawsuits against the U.S. over the sanctions against Russian banks and we hope to use the mechanism of the WTO to keep our partners in check regarding this issue."
In an April 9 bulletin on its website detailing a meeting regarding the council for trade in goods, the WTO said that Russia had expressed concern about a recent Executive Order signed by U.S. President Barack Obama regarding "listed persons of Russian Federation whose bank accounts were blocked".
Russia was "closely monitoring the effect of this measure on Russian operators and on the potential violation of WTO Agreements" and "urged other members not to be drawn to political motivations when it comes to trade," the WTO statement said.
The U.S. State Department said on Tuesday it anticipates more Ukraine-related sanctions on Russia but suggested no action was likely before a diplomatic meeting in Geneva this week.
(Reporting by Megan Davies; Additional reporting by Tom Miles in Geneva; Editing by Giles Elgood) -
#Ukraine tanks move into Kramatorsk, and are quickly swarmed by villagers; defections reported later. youtu.be/pGW_wXRdDMYby Jim Roberts via twitter 4/16/2014 11:14:47 AM -
Local residents bring flowers to place them on armoured personnel carriers in Slaviansk April 16, 2014. At least three armoured personal carriers that were driven in to the eastern Ukrainian city of Slaviansk had been under the control of Ukrainian armed forces earlier on Wednesday, Reuters photographers said. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich
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#Ukraine is issuing war bonds - just like Austro-Hungary and Canada during World War I bit.ly/1qIlDBmby kyivpost via twitter 4/16/2014 10:55:21 AM -
Russia is counting on ppl (and reporters) to take this information and start being hysterical. Impt. to remain calm. Disinformation at work.by dima7b via twitter 4/16/2014 10:46:06 AM -
by Harriet Salem via twitter 4/16/2014 10:41:05 AM -
"Practically everything on TV is a lie" reservist Dima says. "We're not scared of the Russian army, but we won't go against our own people."by max seddon via twitter 4/16/2014 10:37:40 AM -
men in six Ukrainian APCs which reportedly switched sides & went to Slavyansk also say they're from the 25th, but these guys haven't heardby max seddon via twitter 4/16/2014 10:25:24 AM
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13 armored Ukrainian vehicles from Dnepropetrovsk 25th brigade stopped by crowds outside Kramatorsk. Fighter flying very low overheadby max seddon via twitter 4/16/2014 10:24:23 AM
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A Ukrainian Sukhoi Su-27 jet fighter flies above Slaviansk April 16, 2014. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich
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Crazy to think - standing on Kiev's Independence Sq on Christmas day, there was very genuine concern #euromaidan would be over by New Year.by Jack Stubbs via twitter 4/16/2014 10:20:51 AM -
Crimea on bumpy road to becoming a Russian province
By Alissa de Carbonnel
SIMFEROPOL, Crimea - Natalia Rudenko's ears were still ringing from being shouted at by a father demanding that the Ukrainian-language school she has run for 17 years in Crimea's capital now teach in Russian when local officials turned up at her office to dismiss her.
Their message: Rudenko and her school dedicated to sending students to Ukrainian universities no longer have a place in a society that voted to secede from Ukraine and join Russia last month after Moscow deployed troops across the Black Sea peninsula.
As shocked staff and parents gathered in her office, bringing flowers, the matronly 62-year-old was overcome with emotion: "I built this school from the ground up," she said.
Rudenko's dismissal is part of a colossal reshuffling managed from the Kremlin in the wake of Crimea's annexation to hurriedly remake the Ukrainian region of some 2 million people into a Russian territory populated by Russians.
It's a baffling, monumental task pro-Russian leaders are rushing to complete during a "transition period" that lasts until January 1, 2015 - in many cases cutting corners and dispensing with niceties.
Full Article -
an unidentified gunman attacks a journalist in Slovyansk apimages.com/metadata/Index…by NatVasilyevaAP via twitter 4/16/2014 10:20:28 AM -
Armed men stand near armoured personnel carriers, with a Russian flag on top one of the vehicles (R), in Slaviansk April 16, 2014. Six armoured troop carriers entered the eastern Ukrainian town of Slaviansk on Wednesday carrying the Russian national flag and the banner of pro-Russian separatists, a Reuters eyewitness said. The sign on the building reads, "White Night cafe". REUTERS/Gleb Garanich
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Russia and Ukraine ambassadors trade accusations at emergency U.N. meeting. Katie Sargent reports.
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by AJAM Live via twitter 4/14/2014 2:52:18 PM -
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Moody's downgrades Kiev and Kharkiv to CAA3 from CAA2; outlook negative
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Ashton, Kerry, foreign ministers of Russia and Ukraine will meet next week to discuss Ukraine: EU statement
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Helpful explainer here for those looking to better understand #Ukraine crisis, courtesy of @Max_Fisher & @voxdotcom vox.com/cards/ukraine-…by Christopher Miller via twitter 4/8/2014 8:37:39 PM -
NATO to triple Baltic air patrol from next month reut.rs/1qmvgDJby Reuters Top News via twitter 4/8/2014 8:16:56 PM -
The "what if?" scenario
Ukrainian police removed 70 pro-Russian protesters from the city of Kharkiv today, after a short-lived occupation of the town. But the pro-Moscow movement has retained its foothold in two other towns, Luhansk and Donetsk.
This raised red flags for some western leaders, who accused the Kremlin of influencing the unrest. NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen called for Russia to "step back" from Ukraine. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry accused Russian operatives of stirring the pot in the former Soviet state. Perhaps even more damningly, Kerry called out Russia for alleged "clear and unmistakable involvement in destabilizing" parts of Eastern Ukraine.
In a day of increasingly dire rhetoric, it's difficult not to speculate on the "what if" scenarios. Which is exactly what Vox did in a post entitled (yep) "Here's what could happen if Russia invades Ukraine":Military cooperation with the West had made Ukraine's military stronger than you might think, so Russia would take real losses in an invasion That being said, Ukraine doesn't stand a chance in a real conflict. Ukraine has a lot of old-Soviet era equipment, and their defense budget is 1/40th of Russia's. And Russia has seven times as many troops, twice as many tanks, and six times as many combat aircraft.
(You can read the rest of Vox's piece here.)
Things don't sound so hot for Ukraine.
Time, however, pointed out that pushing further into Ukraine could pose greater complications for Russia:Eastern Ukraine is not like Crimea. It is far bigger, more diverse, better integrated into Ukraine’s economy and more vital to its survival than Crimea, and if the action proceeds again toward a Russian invasion of these territories, the Kremlin’s choreographers will have a much harder time pulling it off. The stakes this time are incomparably higher.
(Click here to read the rest of Time's piece.) -
Kazakhstan nervous of tougher Russia/Ukraine oil sanctions
ASTANA/MOSCOW - Kazakhstan, which has backed close ally Russia's actions in Ukraine, is seeking alternative routes for its oil exports which may fall if the West decides to toughen sanctions against Russia, a major transit route of Kazakh crude to world markets.
A vast steppe nation of 17 million, Kazakhstan is Central Asia's largest economy and the second-largest post-Soviet oil producer after Russia, with which it participates in a customs union and plans to form the Eurasian Economic Union this year.
Russia's annexation of Crimea in neighboring Ukraine has so far only elicited targeted sanctions against certain Russian and Ukrainian individuals and many believe major crude producer Russia's key position in world energy markets makes heavier sanctions very unlikely.
Click here to read more. -
Putin says Russia will follow up fast after Ukraine call with Biden
MOSCOW Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that Russia would send ideas to Washington within a week to follow up his talks with U.S. President Joe Biden on the Ukraine crisis.
