More detail from our news desk on Yatsenyuk's comments this morning:
Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk says the goal of Russian President Vladimir Putin is to destroy Ukraine as an independent country.
"His goal is to take the entire Ukraine ... he wants to eliminate Ukraine as an independent country," Yatsenyuk said.
Speaking at a conference attended by Western and Ukrainian lawmakers and businessmen in Kyiv on September 13, Yatsenyuk accused Putin of seeking to "restore the Soviet Union."
Yatsenyuk also said that despite a cease-fire between pro-Russian separatists and government forces to end five months of fighting in the east, "Ukraine is still in a state of war and the key aggressor is the Russian Federation."
He said "Putin wants another frozen conflict" in eastern Ukraine.
Yatsenyuk described the cease-fire agreed in Minsk on September 5 as just a "first step" to "stop a massacre."
Yatsenyuk also said Russia was "a threat to the global order and to the security of the entire Europe."
Asked about future NATO membership, Yatsenyuk said he realized the alliance was not ready now to admit Kyiv, but added: "NATO in these particular circumstances is the only vehicle to protect Ukraine."
Yatsenyuk said a new wave of economic sanctions imposed on Russia by the European Union and the United States over its role in the Ukraine conflict posed a major threat to the Russian economy.
The sanctions were announced by the United States and the EU in a coordinated move on September 12 and target Russia's energy, defense and banking sectors.
Kyiv and Western nations say there is evidence Russia is supporting the separatists in eastern Ukraine with troops and weapons. Moscow denies this, and has said it will retaliate against Western sanctions.
The suspicions continue that the primary objective of the Russian convoy is not to bring but to take away.
And here's an update on Russia's new convoy, which has now reached Luhansk:
The first trucks from a Russian aid convoy have reached the eastern Ukrainian city of Luhansk.
Russian news agency ITAR-TASS reported on September 13 that the vehicles had arrived and were unloading their cargo of sugar, cereals, food products and other basic goods.
It said all 250 trucks in the convoy were expected to arrive in Luhansk by the end of the day.
Russian officials say the convoy is carrying around 2,000 tons of aid.
ITAR-TASS also cited Anastasia Isyuk of the International Committee of the Red Cross as saying none of its officials is accompanying the convoy.
Last month, the first Russian aid convoy waited on the border for several days before entering Ukrainian territory without permission from authorities in Kyiv, sparking a protest from the Ukrainian government who called it a "direct invasion."
Strong words from Yatsenyuk this morning:
Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk says the goal of Russian President Vladimir Putin is to destroy Ukraine as an independent country.
"His goal is to take the entire Ukraine ... he wants to eliminate Ukraine as an independent country," Yatsenyuk said.
Speaking at an international conference in Kyiv on September 13, he said "Putin wants another frozen conflict" in eastern Ukraine.
Yatsenyuk also said Russia was "a threat to the global order and to the security of the entire Europe."
He described a cease-fire between the government and pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine agreed in Minsk on September 5 as just a "first step" to "stop a massacre."
Yatsenyuk said a new wave of economic sanctions imposed on Russia by the European Union and the United States posed a major threat to the Russian economy.
We are now closing the live blog for today. Don't forget that you can keep up with all our ongoing Ukraine coverage here.
What Russia did yesterday, cutting by 10% the gas supplies to the EU member states, is a very serious wake-up call for the EU.
— Arseniy Yatsenyuk (@Yatsenyuk_AP) September 12, 2014