Ukraine's Poroshenko says sanctions against Russia must remain
BERLIN, Feb 1 (Reuters) -- Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko on Monday urged the West to maintain sanctions against Russia over its backing of militants in the east of the country.
"Sanctions against Russia must stay in place until Russia fully implements the Minsk agreement," Poroshenko said at a joint news conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin.
His comments were echoed by Merkel who said given the lack of sustainable peace, the European Union must renew sanctions against Russia over its role in the conflict.
Merkel also said she would discuss with Poroshenko extending new financial aid to Ukraine in 2016.
Here is today's map of the security situation in eastern Ukraine, according to the National Security and Defense Council (CLICK TO ENLARGE):
Soviet-Era Monument Torn Down In Eastern Ukraine
A crowd in the eastern Ukrainian city of Dnipropetrovsk tore down a statue of Soviet-era leader Grigory Petrovsky on January 29. Petrovsky, who led the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic in the 1920s and 1930s, is seen as one of the architects of the mass famine known as the Holodomor that killed millions of Ukrainians. The statue was one of the last major Soviet monuments remaining in the region. (RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service)
