Section: The Japan Times (Japan)
EU freezes new sanctions ahead of Ukraine peace summit
The European Union on Monday put fresh sanctions against Moscow on hold ahead of a summit to thrash out a Ukraine peace plan aimed at ending 10 months of bloodshed. French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said the EU would hold off implementing new individual sanctions to improve the chances of success at the four-way summit […] The post EU...
Leaders scramble to avert ‘dramatic spiral’ in Ukraine; Putin branded ‘tyrant’
The leaders of Russia, Ukraine, Germany and France agreed to meet in Belarus on Wednesday to try to broker a peace deal for Ukraine amid escalating violence there and signs of cracks in the trans-Atlantic consensus on confronting Vladimir Putin. The four leaders held a call on Sunday, two days after Chancellor Angela Merkel and […] The post...
Ukraine arrests journalist after call to dodge draft
Ukraine’s security service arrested a journalist on treason charges Sunday after he posted a video online urging people to dodge the country’s new military draft, his wife and officials said. Ruslan Kotsaba — a television journalist from the western region of Ivano-Frankivsk — was ordered held in custody for 60 days pending...
West presses Putin to back ‘last-chance’ Ukraine peace bid
Western leaders challenged Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday to prove he wants peace in Ukraine, warning both sides a new Franco-German peace drive may be a “last chance” to stop all-out war. In a dramatic gesture at a gathering of world leaders in Germany, Ukraine’s President Petro Poroshenko brandished passports and military ID...
West shouldn’t rule out sending arms to Ukraine: NATO commander
The West should not rule out sending weapons and other military equipment to help the Ukrainian army in its war against pro-Russian separatists, NATO’s top military commander said on Saturday. The comments by U.S. Air Force Gen. Philip Breedlove were his strongest public intervention yet in the debate going on in Washington over whether the...
Putin, Ukrainian president to discuss new peace proposal with Merkel, Hollande
Talks among the leaders of Russia, France and Germany on a peace initiative for Ukraine ended early Saturday with an announcement that Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart would discuss a proposal to end the fighting in a four-way telephone call this weekend. The planned discussions Sunday involving Putin, Ukrainian...
Rebels, Ukrainian forces agree on humanitarian corridor
Pro-Russia rebels and the Ukrainian authorities agreed Friday on a humanitarian corridor to evacuate civilians from the epicenter of fighting in eastern Ukraine as German and French leaders prepared to bring their peace plan to Moscow. German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande are set to hold talks with Russian...
Merkel, Hollande head to Moscow for deal to pull Ukraine back from brink
Angela Merkel and Francois Hollande will press Vladimir Putin for a cease-fire in Ukraine on Friday as U.S. and Russian officials expressed skepticism that a quick resolution to stem the spiraling violence is possible. After meeting Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko on Thursday, the German and French leaders head to Moscow on Friday to present...
Former Russian rebel leader makes Putin look cautious
Vladimir Putin’s critics say he went too far on Ukraine. The former Russian agent who helped trigger the conflict says his biggest mistake was not going far enough. Putin has made himself a “hostage” to the war in Ukraine by opting not to annex the Donetsk and Luhansk regions after taking Crimea, according to Igor […] The post Former...
Civilian woes deepen as battle surges on Ukraine front line
The morning silence is an uneasy prelude to the artillery fire that inevitably follows. Sealed off from the world by war, some inhabitants hesitantly approach visitors for news. There’s no time for anything more than a few words, as soldiers bark instructions at exhausted people boarding evacuation buses with overflowing bags in hand. On...
