Here's last night's White House statement on the aid convoy:
Meanwhile in soccer news:
Europe's soccer governing body, UEFA, has announced it will not recognize any matches played by Crimean clubs in Russian competitions, but will not issue sanctions against 2018 World Cup host Russia.
Three clubs from Crimea, a region in Ukraine annexed by Russia in March, debuted in Russian league and cup competitions this month.
UEFA's Emergency Panel ruled that the clubs' matches "will not be recognized by UEFA until further notice," the organization said in a statement on August 22.
The Ukrainian Football Federation had called for sanctions against Russia's football authorities, arguing that admitting the Crimean clubs meant the Russian Football Union broke UEFA regulations by acting outside its jurisdiction.
Here's our news wrap from this morning on Obama's and Merkel's condemnation of Russian actions in Ukraine.
BREAKING:
At least five trucks from a Russian aid convoy that unilaterally entered eastern Ukraine on August 22 have arrived at a border crossing on their way back into Russia.
Paul Picard, the acting head of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe's (OSCE) monitoring group at the Donetsk-Izvarino border crossing, said several of the trucks passed through the crossing on August 23 while others could be seen approaching the border heading toward Russia.
An AP reporter said he could not determine if the trucks were carrying cargo.
The convoy of some 220 vehicles had entered Ukraine without the permission of the Ukrainian government and without the accompaniement of Red Cross officials, as had been previously agreed upon.
Kyiv officials called the move by Russia an "invasion" and U.S. and other western leaders condemned the trucks' unauthorized entry into Ukrainian territory.
That concludes our live blogging for Friday, August 22.
Here's our newsroom's latest wrap-up of what has been an enormously active day in and about Ukraine. You can follow events as this story is updated or find news on Ukraine and the rest of RFE/RL's broadcast region HERE.
Ukraine Decries 'Invasion' As Russian Convoy Enters Ukraine
