Here is today's map of the security situation in eastern Ukraine, according to the National Security and Defense Council:
More on Biden's comments from our News Desk:
Biden Warns Of Russian Threat To World Order, Election Meddling
In his final major speech in office, U.S. Vice President Joe Biden said that Russia poses the biggest threat to the "liberal international order” and warned that further Russian attempts to meddle in Western elections should be expected.
Biden spoke on January 18 at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. U.S. intelligence agencies said earlier this month that Russian President Vladimir Putin had ordered a hacking campaign that aimed to meddle in the U.S. presidential election.
"With many countries in Europe slated to hold elections this year, we should expect further attempts by Russia to meddle in the democratic process," Biden said. "It will occur again, I promise you. And again the purpose is clear: to collapse the liberal international order."
Biden called on the United States and European Union to "lead the fight" to protect liberal values and insisted that NATO must remain a key element in transatlantic relations.
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, who takes office on January 20, has called NATO "obsolete," charging that it has not done enough to fight terrorism, but has also said the alliance is still "very important" to him.
Based on reporting by AP, Reuters, and dpa
JUST IN FROM RFE/RL'S NEWS DESK:
U.S. Vice President Joe Biden says in Davos, Switzerland, that Russia poses the biggest threat to the "liberal" world order and warns that further Russian attempts to meddle in Western elections should be expected.
Ukraine's Savchenko Draws Fire For Crimea Comments
By RFE/RL
Ukrainian lawmaker Nadia Savchenko has caused controversy by suggesting that Kyiv must accept Moscow's grip on Crimea for the time being if it wants to regain control over eastern territory held by Russia-backed separatists.
Speaking on 112 Ukraine TV on January 17, Savchenko said that "the only peaceful way" to resolve the status of the eastern Donbas region in Kyiv's favor is to put the issue of Crimea, which was seized by Russia in March 2014, "on the back burner."
"We must not abandon" Crimea or the Donbas, Savchenko said. But she suggested that in order to regain control of separatist-held territory in the east, Ukrainian politicians will have to "give up" Crimea "for a certain period."
She suggested that if Kyiv focuses on demands for the return of control over Crimea, the Donbas will become "another Transdniester" -- a reference to a sliver of neighboring Moldova that has been held by pro-Russian separatists since a war in 1992.
The only other way to regain control over the Donbas is by force, she said.
From the Ukraine researcher at Human Rights Watch:
Estonia, Lithuania Sign Deals With U.S. To Allow Troop Deployments
By RFE/RL
Estonia and Lithuania moved on January 17 to shore up military relations with the United States ahead of the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump.
The two Baltic states signed bilateral defense agreements with the United States to formalize the presence of U.S. troops in their countries, their defense ministries said.
The third Baltic state, Latvia, signed a similar deal with the United States last week.
The accords will ease the deployment of U.S. forces in the countries and allow for joint exercises and training.
"We are interested in the continued presence of American troops in Lithuania, as this is one of the key elements of our security," Defense Minister Raimundas Karoblis said.
Trump has called the NATO alliance that binds Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania with the United States and 24 other countries "obsolete." The comments caused a stir in the Baltic states, which have expressed concerns about the assertiveness of neighboring Russia following that country’s illegal annexation of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula and support for separatists in eastern Ukraine.
Trump, who will take office on January 20, has repeatedly signaled his intent for warmer relations with Russia.
Linas Kojala, director of the Eastern Europe Studies Center in Vilnius, told the Associated Press that the moves are purposely being made to beat the clock on Trump’s inauguration.
"Both sides (the United States and Lithuania) aimed to finalize the agreement before the inauguration of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, as the arrival of the new administration might push the issue to the bottom of the political agenda," Kojala said.