15:15
26.4.2014
Reuters just moved this news alert:
SEPARATIST LEADER IN EASTERN UKRAINE CITY OF SLAVIANSK SAYS DETAINED INT'L OBSERVERS ARE SUSPECTED OF CARRYING OUT "INTELLIGENCE OPERATIONS ON OUR TERRITORY"
SEPARATIST LEADER IN EASTERN UKRAINE CITY OF SLAVIANSK SAYS DETAINED INT'L OBSERVERS ARE SUSPECTED OF CARRYING OUT "INTELLIGENCE OPERATIONS ON OUR TERRITORY"
15:18
26.4.2014
More Ukraine fallout. Traditionally neutral Finland is witnessing an uptick in support for joining NATO -- at least among military officers. This, via Reuters:
HELSINKI, April 26 (Reuters) - Almost two-thirds of Finnish military officers believe the country should join NATO, and even more think the Russian military threat has grown in the wake of the Ukraine crisis, a poll showed on Saturday.
The crisis has brought relations between Russia and the West to their lowest ebb since the Cold War, and is increasingly turning into a military stand-off.
Of the polled officers, 66 percent favoured NATO entry, 10 percent preferred a defence alliance with Sweden and one quarter thought it would be best to remain outside any alliance.
About three quarters of respondents the Ukraine crisis had made them view NATO membership more positively, and slightly more said the Russian military threat against Finland had increased.
Some 2,000 of the 6,000 members of the Officers' Union were part of the survey, conducted by the union and daily Helsingin Sanomat last week.
Support for NATO membership remains low among the general population, with recent polls showing only about one in five favouring entry.
The crisis has brought relations between Russia and the West to their lowest ebb since the Cold War, and is increasingly turning into a military stand-off.
Of the polled officers, 66 percent favoured NATO entry, 10 percent preferred a defence alliance with Sweden and one quarter thought it would be best to remain outside any alliance.
About three quarters of respondents the Ukraine crisis had made them view NATO membership more positively, and slightly more said the Russian military threat against Finland had increased.
Some 2,000 of the 6,000 members of the Officers' Union were part of the survey, conducted by the union and daily Helsingin Sanomat last week.
Support for NATO membership remains low among the general population, with recent polls showing only about one in five favouring entry.
15:39
26.4.2014
15:43
26.4.2014
Here's the latest wrap from Reuters on comments by Vyacheslav Ponomaryov, the self-proclaimed "mayor" of Slovyansk at today's presser:
(URGENT) Ukraine rebels holding observers say prisoner swap possible
SLAVIANSK, Ukraine, April 26 (Reuters) - Separatists in the eastern Ukrainian city of Slaviansk are ready to exchange a group of international observers they are holding for fellow rebels who are in the custody of the Ukrainian authorities, their leader said on Saturday.
Asked about a prisoner exchange, Vyacheslav Ponomaryov, de facto mayor of Slaviansk, told reporters: "The Kiev junta has our fellows and comrades therefore, if there is a possibility, we are ready for an exchange."
"They (members of the observer mission) are in alright condition. One of the soldiers suffers from diabetes, but it is not a serious condition, he is on tablets. There is medicine there is food," said Ponomaryov.
"They were soldiers on our territory without our permission, of course they are prisoners," he said. "We won't know what to do until we determine who they are, what kind of activities, for what purpose they came here."
He said the Russian government had not been in contact with him to discuss the observers' release.
SLAVIANSK, Ukraine, April 26 (Reuters) - Separatists in the eastern Ukrainian city of Slaviansk are ready to exchange a group of international observers they are holding for fellow rebels who are in the custody of the Ukrainian authorities, their leader said on Saturday.
Asked about a prisoner exchange, Vyacheslav Ponomaryov, de facto mayor of Slaviansk, told reporters: "The Kiev junta has our fellows and comrades therefore, if there is a possibility, we are ready for an exchange."
"They (members of the observer mission) are in alright condition. One of the soldiers suffers from diabetes, but it is not a serious condition, he is on tablets. There is medicine there is food," said Ponomaryov.
"They were soldiers on our territory without our permission, of course they are prisoners," he said. "We won't know what to do until we determine who they are, what kind of activities, for what purpose they came here."
He said the Russian government had not been in contact with him to discuss the observers' release.
15:45
26.4.2014
In an interview with AP, Yulia Tymoshenko called for NATO membership for Ukraine:
AP Interview: Tymoshenko calls for NATO membership
KIEV, Ukraine (AP) — Former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko says Ukraine "must be a member of NATO" in order to protect itself from Russian aggression.
Tymoshenko, who is running in the May 25 presidential election, told The Associated Press in an interview that while only a minority of Ukrainians supported NATO membership previously, Russia's aggressive actions in the country's east had forced a "fundamental change" in public thinking.
She says "with his war against us, (Russian President Vladimir) Putin was able to change the mentality of Ukrainians and turn us in a different strategic direction. NATO is the best choice for Ukraine."
While Tymoshenko hadn't previously backed NATO membership publicly, she and other Ukrainian politicians have ramped up the tough rhetoric as pro-Russia militias seized police stations and government buildings across eastern Ukraine.
KIEV, Ukraine (AP) — Former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko says Ukraine "must be a member of NATO" in order to protect itself from Russian aggression.
Tymoshenko, who is running in the May 25 presidential election, told The Associated Press in an interview that while only a minority of Ukrainians supported NATO membership previously, Russia's aggressive actions in the country's east had forced a "fundamental change" in public thinking.
She says "with his war against us, (Russian President Vladimir) Putin was able to change the mentality of Ukrainians and turn us in a different strategic direction. NATO is the best choice for Ukraine."
While Tymoshenko hadn't previously backed NATO membership publicly, she and other Ukrainian politicians have ramped up the tough rhetoric as pro-Russia militias seized police stations and government buildings across eastern Ukraine.
15:46
26.4.2014
More on today's Papal diplomacy from AFP:
Pope Francis told Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk on Saturday that he would "do everything possible" for the country, amid fears that Russia could be about to invade.
Yatsenyuk said he asked Francis "to pray for Ukraine and for stability in Europe" and told him he was grateful for the support.
He said the Vatican had already averted wars during the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962 and the Argentina-Chile territorial dispute in 1978.
The Vatican said in a statement that Francis and Yatsenyuk had discussed the "specific role" that religious organisations could play "in fostering mutual respect and harmony".
"Mention was made of possible further initiatives by the international community in this regard," the statement said.
Yatsenyuk's spokeswoman said the premier was cutting short his trip to Rome and will miss the canonisation of John Paul II and John XXIII, as tensions mount in the eastern part of the ex-Soviet country and Western nations threaten sanctions.
Yatsenyuk spent 18 minutes behind closed doors with the pope, who had urged the international community to "prevent violence" in Ukraine in his Easter Sunday message.
At an exchange of gifts, Yatsenyuk presented Francis with a photograph of Maidan square in Kiev on New Year's night.
"This is where Ukrainians fought for their freedom and rights. Millions of people," he said.
The pope in return offered the Ukraine leader a pen, saying "I hope this pen will sign the peace", to which Yatsenyuk replied "I hope so."
Yatsenyuk said he asked Francis "to pray for Ukraine and for stability in Europe" and told him he was grateful for the support.
He said the Vatican had already averted wars during the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962 and the Argentina-Chile territorial dispute in 1978.
The Vatican said in a statement that Francis and Yatsenyuk had discussed the "specific role" that religious organisations could play "in fostering mutual respect and harmony".
"Mention was made of possible further initiatives by the international community in this regard," the statement said.
Yatsenyuk's spokeswoman said the premier was cutting short his trip to Rome and will miss the canonisation of John Paul II and John XXIII, as tensions mount in the eastern part of the ex-Soviet country and Western nations threaten sanctions.
Yatsenyuk spent 18 minutes behind closed doors with the pope, who had urged the international community to "prevent violence" in Ukraine in his Easter Sunday message.
At an exchange of gifts, Yatsenyuk presented Francis with a photograph of Maidan square in Kiev on New Year's night.
"This is where Ukrainians fought for their freedom and rights. Millions of people," he said.
The pope in return offered the Ukraine leader a pen, saying "I hope this pen will sign the peace", to which Yatsenyuk replied "I hope so."
15:49
26.4.2014
A flury of new news alerts from Reuters:
- LAVROV CALLS UPON UNITED STATES TO USE ITS INFLUENCE TO SECURE RELEASE OF LEADERS OF "PROTEST MOVEMENT" IN SOUTHEASTERN UKRAINE
- RUSSIA'S LAVROV TELLS U.S. SEC'Y OF STATE KERRY UKRAINE SHOULD STOP ITS MILITARY OPERATION IN SOUTHEAST OF COUNTRY - RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY
- GERMAN FOR MINISTER SAYS RUSSIA'S LAVROV OFFERED SUPPORT IN EFFORTS TO RELEASE INT'L MONITORS HELD IN EASTERN UKRAINE
- LAVROV CALLS UPON UNITED STATES TO USE ITS INFLUENCE TO SECURE RELEASE OF LEADERS OF "PROTEST MOVEMENT" IN SOUTHEASTERN UKRAINE
- RUSSIA'S LAVROV TELLS U.S. SEC'Y OF STATE KERRY UKRAINE SHOULD STOP ITS MILITARY OPERATION IN SOUTHEAST OF COUNTRY - RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY
- GERMAN FOR MINISTER SAYS RUSSIA'S LAVROV OFFERED SUPPORT IN EFFORTS TO RELEASE INT'L MONITORS HELD IN EASTERN UKRAINE
15:52
26.4.2014
From CBC correspondent Nahlah Ayed:
16:02
26.4.2014
The use of armed forces by the Russian Federation on the territory of Ukraine under the guise of peacekeepers will be regarded by Ukraine as military aggression and such actions will be rebuffed, acting Minister of Defense Mykhailo Koval has said.
16:03
26.4.2014