The first phase of the Dutch-led international mission to the #MH17 crash site has concluded. http://t.co/KpP8TIrrIx
— Paul Myler (@PosolAustralia) August 7, 2014
Former U.S. Ambassador to Moscow Michael McFaul has been writing in "The New York Times" about what else the West can do to help Ukraine besides the latest raft of sanctions against Russia:
Western support for Ukraine is substantial, but more could be done. Most immediately, the West should provide the Ukrainian military with as much intelligence as possible, both to help its fighters protect themselves and to help them avoid killing civilians. Nothing hurts Ukraine’s campaign for sovereignty and unification more than civilian casualties. If requested, the West also should provide Ukraine with nonlethal assistance, like body armor and night vision goggles.
The West also needs to counter Russia’s propaganda with its own information offensive. Moscow has framed its mission in Ukraine as a defensive struggle against Ukrainian “Nazis” and Western imperialism. In response, the West should disseminate accurate information about Russian actions and Western motivations, not only by providing more resources to traditional channels like Voice of America, but also by supporting new sources of reporting, like blogs and online news outlets.
The West can likewise do more to help the Kiev government win hearts and minds in eastern Ukraine. It should encourage Kiev to reduce civilian casualties through safer humanitarian corridors to allow civilians to flee the war zone. In addition, the West could send more humanitarian assistance through the Ukrainian government, to aid refugees.
The West should also convene an international donors conference to create a “Donbass Development Fund” for reconstruction in eastern Ukraine after the war. The mere creation of such a fund would help change the negative image of the West in the region, as would new scholarships and internship programs.
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And the West must continue to support economic and political reforms in Ukraine. President Petro O. Poroshenko has emphasized that Russian aggression cannot be used as an excuse to delay things like budget restructuring and efforts to improve government transparency. But he and his government need more financial and technical assistance from Western governments, international institutions and nongovernmental organizations. Ensuring maximum participation and a free vote in the next parliamentary election must be a top priority.
Read the entire article here
Some 200 Ukrainian soldiers return to Ukraine after crossing into Russia amid shelling http://t.co/S04J3MdvWb
— Kyiv Post (@KyivPost) August 7, 2014
Good morning. We'll start today's live blog with this update from RFE/RL's news desk:
U.S. President Barack Obama says Ukraine does not need additional military assistance to help fight pro-Russian separatists but an invasion by Russia would raise "a different set of questions."
Obama's comments came after NATO said on August 6 that Moscow had increased its forces along the border with eastern Ukraine to some 20,000 troops.
Obama said Ukraine is fighting separatists "who can't match the Ukrainian Army."
Ukrainian officials have urged Washington to provide lethal aid to Kyiv.
NATO said that some Russian military vehicles on the border have been marked as "peacekeeping" or "humanitarian," causing worry Moscow might use a humanitarian pretext to invade.
Meanwhile, U.S. Vice President Joe Biden spoke via phone with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, who said Moscow is already involved in the conflict, firing artillery at Ukrainian forces from Russia.
( Reuters, AP)
This ends our live-blogging for August 6. Be sure and check back tomorrow for our continuing coverage.
"The Interpreter" says that Russian military vehicles marked as peacekeepers have been verified as massing on the Ukrainian border:
LATEST on the MH17 investigation from our news desk:
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said on August 6 forensic work at the crash site of the Malaysian airliner in eastern Ukraine is being halted due to the worsening security situation in the area.
At a press conference in The Hague, Rutte said international investigators will return to the scene when it is safe.
The investigators from the Netherlands, Australia, and Malaysia are working to recover the remains of all 298 victims from Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, which was brought down in eastern Ukraine.
Western and Ukrainian officials say they have evidence that pro-Russian separatists shot the plane down with a Russian-made Buk antiaircraft missile.
More than 220 coffins have already been returned to the Netherlands. (AP, dpa, ITAR-TASS)