The Reuters news agency is reporting that a senior U.S. general will be visiting Ukraine today:
BRUSSELS, Nov 25 (Reuters) -- A top U.S. military commander, General Philip Breedlove, will visit Ukraine on Wednesday for talks with senior political and military leaders, a spokesman said.
Breedlove, who is head of U.S. European Command as well as NATO's top military commander, will be visiting Kiev in his U.S. capacity, the spokesman said.
"He is scheduled to meet with senior political and military leaders ... to discuss the security situation in eastern Ukraine, support from the U.S. and reforms planned in the defense sector," he said.
The U.S. support under discussion would be limited to non-lethal aid, such as body armor and night vision devices, already pledged by the United States and does not include weapons, a military source said.
Moscow, accused by NATO of fomenting a rebellion by pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine, strongly opposes the Western military alliance's expansion and says Ukraine's neutral status is key for its security.
A senior Russian official said on Tuesday an announcement by Ukraine's president that he would hold a referendum on NATO membership in several years' time would increase regional tensions. (Reporting by Adrian Croft; editing by Foo Yun Chee)
Good morning. We'll start the live blog today with this item from RFE/RL's news desk:
Ukraine has leveled fresh charges that Moscow is sending military support to pro-Russian separatists in the east.
A Foreign Ministry spokesman said five columns of heavy equipment were spotted crossing into Ukrainian territory on November 24.
Evhen Perebyinis told journalists on November 25 that a total of 85 vehicles had been detected in the five columns that entered at the Izvaryne border crossing point from Russia.
"The Russian side is continuing to provide the terrorist organizations of the Donetsk and Luhansk people's republics with heavy armaments," said Perebynisis.
Separately, the Ukrainian military said one soldier had been killed and five others wounded in the past 24 hours as a shaky cease-fire declared on September 5 continued to come under pressure.
The six-month conflict in the east of Ukraine has left more than 4,300 people dead, according to the United Nations.
(AFP, Reuters)
We are now closing the live blog for today. Don't forget that you can keep abreast of all our ongoing Ukraine coverage here.