18:40
24.5.2014
Here's another Putin update from our news desk:
Russian President Vladimir Putin says it is "impossible" to isolate Russia from the global economy despite pressure from the West over the crisis in Ukraine.
Speaking on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, Putin said sanctions imposed by Western nations on Russia over its actions in Ukraine were "totally counterproductive."
He told a group of journalists that the sanctions do not correspond to international law and led to global instability.
He said he hoped the Ukraine crisis would not spark a new "Cold War" with the West which he said would not be in anyone's interest.
Putin said Moscow had no plans to rebuild the Soviet Union.
The Russian president also addressed comments by Britain's Prince Charles in which he reportedly compared Putin's actions in Ukraine to those of Adolf Hitler.
Putin described the comments as "unacceptable."
Putin said he had not heard the remark made by Prince Charles, but if Charles did make the comparison then it was "not royal behavior."
Prince Charles reportedly made the comment to a Jewish woman who fled the Nazis during World War II.
Putin also told journalists in St. Petersburg that he will not be "avoiding" meetings with Western leaders when he visits France next month.
The visit to attend D-Day commemorations on June 6 will be the first time Putin would have a chance to meet in person with Western leaders since the Ukraine crisis began in February.
Russian President Vladimir Putin says it is "impossible" to isolate Russia from the global economy despite pressure from the West over the crisis in Ukraine.
Speaking on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, Putin said sanctions imposed by Western nations on Russia over its actions in Ukraine were "totally counterproductive."
He told a group of journalists that the sanctions do not correspond to international law and led to global instability.
He said he hoped the Ukraine crisis would not spark a new "Cold War" with the West which he said would not be in anyone's interest.
Putin said Moscow had no plans to rebuild the Soviet Union.
The Russian president also addressed comments by Britain's Prince Charles in which he reportedly compared Putin's actions in Ukraine to those of Adolf Hitler.
Putin described the comments as "unacceptable."
Putin said he had not heard the remark made by Prince Charles, but if Charles did make the comparison then it was "not royal behavior."
Prince Charles reportedly made the comment to a Jewish woman who fled the Nazis during World War II.
Putin also told journalists in St. Petersburg that he will not be "avoiding" meetings with Western leaders when he visits France next month.
The visit to attend D-Day commemorations on June 6 will be the first time Putin would have a chance to meet in person with Western leaders since the Ukraine crisis began in February.
18:08
24.5.2014
A self-styled "congress" took place in Donetsk today in which people's representatives of the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk people's republics signed a "declaration of unification" under which they would merge into "Novorossia."
The decision came at the end of the congress, in which a "Manifesto of the Popular Front" was adopted. According to novosti.dn.ua (which has some nice pictures of the event) and ura.dn.ua (which asks in a separate article on its home page if Novorossia can exist again), only journalists from Rossia-24 were allowed to the event.
The manifesto says the Popular Front was created to "protect the civilian population from Nazi gangs financed by oligarchs and foreign intelligence services."
The congress was reportedly organized by former Party of Regions parliamentarian Oleh Tsaryov, and endorsed by "Donetsk People's Republic" leader Denis Phushilin, among others.
The decision came at the end of the congress, in which a "Manifesto of the Popular Front" was adopted. According to novosti.dn.ua (which has some nice pictures of the event) and ura.dn.ua (which asks in a separate article on its home page if Novorossia can exist again), only journalists from Rossia-24 were allowed to the event.
The manifesto says the Popular Front was created to "protect the civilian population from Nazi gangs financed by oligarchs and foreign intelligence services."
The congress was reportedly organized by former Party of Regions parliamentarian Oleh Tsaryov, and endorsed by "Donetsk People's Republic" leader Denis Phushilin, among others.
17:40
24.5.2014
Ukraine's "Ultras", football fans known for violence, put country before club rivalry http://t.co/hXmGbBYecs pic.twitter.com/kPxEuE8YhM
— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) May 24, 2014
17:35
24.5.2014
Ottawa goes it alone, opting to send a Canada-only 338-member observer mission to Ukraine to monitor the election. In addition, 162 Canadians will be participating in the OSCE-coordinated multilateral mission.
17:21
24.5.2014
"Ukrayinska Pravda" reports that the self-declared Donetsk People's Republic has opened an embassy in Moscow.
The newspaper's website cites the "Voice of Sevastopol" as quoting a statement issued by the self-declared republic as saying that the decision to open the embassy was made to give "natives and residents of Dontesk, Luhansk, Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhya, Kharkiv, and Kherson oblasts" priority in obtaining passports for the Donetsk People's Republic when in the Russian Federation.
"Ukrayinska Pravda" also reports that the Donetsk People's Republic had signed a cooperation agreement with the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia that allows the Vladimir Zhironovsky-led party to collect humanitarian aid on behalf of the DPR.
The newspaper's website cites the "Voice of Sevastopol" as quoting a statement issued by the self-declared republic as saying that the decision to open the embassy was made to give "natives and residents of Dontesk, Luhansk, Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhya, Kharkiv, and Kherson oblasts" priority in obtaining passports for the Donetsk People's Republic when in the Russian Federation.
"Ukrayinska Pravda" also reports that the Donetsk People's Republic had signed a cooperation agreement with the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia that allows the Vladimir Zhironovsky-led party to collect humanitarian aid on behalf of the DPR.
17:02
24.5.2014
17:01
24.5.2014
17:00
24.5.2014
16:48
24.5.2014
Here's an interactive map RFE/RL has made of flashpoints in eastern Ukraine ahead of the presidential election (scroll over the red circles for more information):
16:38
24.5.2014
Earlier our news desk reported how Vladimir Putin warned about the threat "Ukrainian radicals posed to Europe's gas supplies. It seems he has since had more to say on the subject:
Russian President Vladimir Putin says Ukraine has no right to demand cuts in the price it pays for natural gas supplies from Russia.
Speaking on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum today, Putin said the gas dispute should be solved through dialogue and not ultimatums.
Putin also told a group of journalists on the sidelines of the conference that sanctions imposed by Western nations on Russia over its actions in Ukraine were "totally counterproductive" and did not correspond to international law.
He said it was not possible to isolate a country like Russia, and that Western sanctions led to volatility in the global economy.
He said he hoped the Ukraine crisis would not spark a new "Cold War" with the West which he said would not be in anyone's interest.
Speaking on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum today, Putin said the gas dispute should be solved through dialogue and not ultimatums.
Putin also told a group of journalists on the sidelines of the conference that sanctions imposed by Western nations on Russia over its actions in Ukraine were "totally counterproductive" and did not correspond to international law.
He said it was not possible to isolate a country like Russia, and that Western sanctions led to volatility in the global economy.
He said he hoped the Ukraine crisis would not spark a new "Cold War" with the West which he said would not be in anyone's interest.