Section: The Guardian (The United Kingdom)
Ukraine: draft dodgers face jail as Kiev struggles to find new fighters
Journalist Ruslan Kotsaba, arrested after refusing to fight in video addressed to Petro Poroshenko, is among many weary of conflict that has killed 5,000Ruslan Kotsaba posted a video addressed to Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko last week in which he said he would rather go to prison for five years for draft dodging than fight pro-Russia...
Obama backs off Ukraine military option but backs German diplomatic effort
US president sidesteps issue of sending arms to Ukraine during joint news conference with Angela Merkel on how to counter Russian aggressionBarack Obama has thrown his support behind German diplomatic efforts to contain Russia in Ukraine, hinting that military alternatives under consideration by the White House remain largely symbolic and fraught...
The west must talk to Vladimir Putin about Ukraine | Letters
I have no love for modern capitalist Russia, or for Vladimir Putin, but there are always two sides to a conflict. Regrettably, the Guardian gives credence mainly to the anti-Putin version. In that narrative, the Russian leader is alleged to have violated Ukraine’s sovereignty, though no hard evidence is offered. For those who support...
Ukrainian government forces fire rockets at separatist targets near Debaltseve – video
Ukrainian government forces fire Grad multiple rocket launchers at pro-Russian separatist targets near the eastern town of Debaltseve. Hundreds of people have fled Debaltseve since intense fighting began in the area. In nearby Donetsk, civilians despair as an apartment building is set on fire from what residents say is government shelling....
Merkel and Obama consider Ukraine strategy at White House meeting – live
German chancellor and president to discuss urgent Ukraine crisisCounter-terrorism and Iran nuclear negotiations also up for discussionSustained fighting in Ukraine has heightened international fears 11.01am ETHello and welcome to our live blog coverage of a joint news conference at the White House with German chancellor Angela Merkel and...
Angela Merkel assailed from all sides in drive to pacify Russia and US on Ukraine
The German chancellor has emerged as Europe’s lone champion, but she faces a daunting and potentially thankless taskIn what could prove a watershed moment in her long political career, Angela Merkel is playing go-between this week with two angry superpowers while trying to deliver peace to a European continent terrified that the Ukraine...
Vladimir Putin’s Egypt visit sends message to US
Russian president’s arrival in Egypt allows both countries to signal that their foreign policies are not to be dictated by othersRussian president Vladimir Putin flies to Cairo for a two-day visit on Monday, in a move nominally aimed at bolstering bilateral ties with Egypt that also allows both countries to send pointed messages to the...
Merkel to meet Obama to resolve Ukrainian differences
German and US leaders facing a potential split over the arming of Ukrainian fighters to combat Russian-backed separatistsAngela Merkel will meet Barack Obama at the White House on Monday, as the two leaders aim to resolve a potential split over arming Ukrainian fighters so they can combat Russian-backed separatists. … …read more...
Ukraine conflict: four-nation peace talks in Minsk aim to end crisis
Planned summit in Belarus capital on Wednesday comes after intense diplomacy between France, Germany, Ukraine and RussiaLeaders from France, Germany, Ukraine and Russia are due to meet in Minsk on Wednesday in a fresh attempt to reach a peace deal in the Ukrainian conflict, but Vladimir Putin said the summit was conditional on some issues being...
David Cameron can influence events in Ukraine without racking up air miles | Shashank Joshi
Cameron stands accused of being a ‘foreign policy irrelevance’, but the most important diplomacy is conducted quietly and slowlyIf diplomacy is an iceberg, summitry is its tip: the moment when heads of government swoop in to push their diplomats over the finishing line, making the final adjustment to negotiating positions that may be months...
