Section: Metro News (Canada)
Ukraine cease-fire largely holding, Debaltseve still tense
LUHANSKE, Ukraine – A cease-fire that went into effect Sunday in eastern Ukraine appeared largely to be holding, although continued fighting over a bitterly contested railway hub is threatening to upend the delicate settlement. The leaders of Russia, Ukraine, France and Germany, who last week brokered a deal to try to end the conflict that has...
Harper skeptical of Ukraine ceasefire deal
VICTORIAVILLE, Que. – Prime Minister Stephen Harper is cautiously optimistic about Thursday’s ceasefire deal between Ukraine and Russia, saying he’ll remain skeptical until Russia honours its end of the bargain. The peace deal was hammered out following all-night negotiations between Russia, Ukraine, France and Germany at a summit in...
Harper approaches Ukraine deal with skepticism
VICTORIAVILLE, Que. – Prime Minister Stephen Harper says he is encouraged by a comprehensive peace deal reached today between Ukraine and Russia, but says he is being cautious about whether Russia will honour it. The peace deal was hammered out today following all-night negotiations between Russia, Ukraine, France and Germany at a summit in...
Guns fall silent as marathon talks lead to Ukraine peace deal
MINSK, Belarus – Guns would fall silent, heavy weapons would pull back from the front and Ukraine would trade broad autonomy for the east to get back control of its Russian border by the end of 2015 under a peace deal hammered out Thursday in all-night negotiations between Russia, Ukraine, France and Germany. The deal was full of potential...
Merkel briefs Harper on Ukraine talks
OTTAWA – German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Monday night she is leaving North America having won support from the United States and Canada for her effort to find a peaceful diplomatic solution to the crisis in Ukraine. In Ottawa, on a quick stopover after her earlier meeting on Monday in Washington with U.S. President Barack Obama, Merkel...
Obama, Merkel rally behind diplomacy in Ukraine conflict
WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel rallied behind efforts to reach a long-shot diplomatic resolution to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine Monday, but they offered no clear path for how the West would proceed if talks this week fail. During a joint White House news conference, Obama dangled the prospect...
France, Germany to help ‘verify’ Ukraine cease-fire deal
PARIS – French President Francois Hollande says he and German Chancellor Angela Merkel are committed to helping verify the cease-fire process in Ukraine, along with the Russian and Ukrainian leaders. Speaking at the end of marathon peace talks, Hollande said Thursday the announcement of a new cease-fire deal has come as a “relief to Europe.”...
Marathon Ukraine talks end with peace deal
MINSK, Belarus – Guns will fall silent, heavy weapons will pull back from the front, and Ukraine will trade a broad autonomy for the east for control of the Russian border by the end of the year under a peace deal hammered out Thursday in all-night negotiations between Russia, Ukraine, France and Germany The deal was full of potential pitfalls,...
Ukraine gets new bailout deal from IMF
BRUSSELS – The International Monetary Fund has agreed with Ukraine on a new bailout deal worth 15.5 billion euro ($17.5 billion) that could climb to around $40 billion over the next four years with help from other lenders like Europe and the U.S. Ukraine has so far received $4.6 billion as part of a $17 billion aid package from the IMF agreed on...
Leaders in Minsk for crucial Ukraine peace talks
MINSK, Belarus – The leaders of France, Germany, Russia and Ukraine negotiated into the early hours Thursday to try to find a way to halt the fighting in eastern Ukraine that has killed more than 5,300 people. The talks on ending the conflict between Ukrainian forces and Russia-backed separatist rebels came amid intense anxiety over the sharp...