More gas talks to be held in Berlin, our news desk reports:
Representatives from the European Union, Russia, and Ukraine are due to meet in Berlin on September 26 to discuss the possibility of renewing Russian gas supplies to Ukraine.
Outgoing EU Energy Commissioner Guenther Oettinger, Russian Energy Minister Aleksandr Novak, and Ukrainian Energy Minister Yuriy Prodan will meet and were expected to speak at a news conference after the talks.
Ahead of the meeting, Oettinger said he hoped a deal could be reached that would run through April 2015, ensuring uninterrupted gas supplies of Russian through this winter.
Europe is concerned about gas shortages that could be caused by Russian suspension of gas supplies through Ukraine.
Kyiv is worried it will not be able to obtain the at least 5 billion cubic meters of gas it needs, and possibly several times that amount if winter is especially cold. (Reuters and ITAR-TASS)
That concludes our live-blogging of the Ukraine crisis for Thursday, September 25. Please check back here tomorrow morning for more coverage of the day's developments.
Also just in from our News Desk:
The Group of Seven (G7) leading industrialized nations has welcomed the Minsk agreements establishing a cease-fire in Ukraine as an "important opportunity" to find a political solution to the conflict.
In a statement on September 25, Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the United States condemned violations of the September 5 cease-fire and called on Russia to withdraw all of its forces, weapons, and equipment from eastern Ukraine.
The G7 also commended Ukraine for passing legislation on amnesty and a "special status" for parts of the country's east and welcomed the ratification of a free-trade agreement with the European Union, some provisions of which are being delayed until the end of 2015.
The countries said they would roll back sanctions against Russia when it meets its commitments according to the Minsk agreement and cease-fire.
From RFE/RL's News Desk:
Addressing the UN General Assembly, EU Council President Herman Van Rompuy said the violation of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity by Russia has triggered "the gravest treat to the European security order in decades."
He also stressed the need for Kyiv to "move firmly" forward on the path of economic, political, and constitutional reforms. Those reforms, he said, will determine the success of "a lasting political solution."