Woman in besieged Debaltseve shows photos of her apartment block, recently shelled by separatist forces. #Ukraine pic.twitter.com/BNusNrsyTO
— joanne mariner (@jgmariner) September 28, 2014
Letter from President Barroso to President Putin The following letter was sent today by the President of the... http://t.co/T15OT3htiL
— EU Delegation UA (@EUDelegationUA) October 1, 2014
Here's a wrap from our news desk on Stoltenberg"s comments:
NATO's new Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has said that the cease-fire in Ukraine "offers an opportunity" but says Russia still has the power to destabilize the country.
Speaking in Brussels today at his first news conference as NATO leader, Stoltenberg said that the cease-fire in Ukraine "offers an opportunity" but added that Russia still has the power to destabilize the country.
Stoltenberg said Russia must comply with international law and demonstrate it is respecting its international obligations.
"We see violations of the cease-fire [in Ukraine]," he said.
But the new NATO chief said he saw no contradiction between aspiring for a constructive relationship with Russia and being in favor of a strong NATO.
Stoltenberg, a former two-term Norwegian Prime Minister, is NATO's 13th secretary-general in the trans-Atlantic organization's 65-year existence.
He replaced Danish former Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen.
(Reuters , AP)
LATEST: New NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg says a cease-fire agreement in eastern Ukraine offers opportunity, but he said Russia was continuing to maintain its ability to destabilize Ukraine. Stoltenberg said NATO "will not compromise on the principles" upon which the alliance rests.
At least 10 people were killed by shelling in the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk, which is controlled by pro-Russian separatists, on October 1. The shells hit a minivan and a school playground on the first day of the school year, but no children were killed. A shaky ceasefire has been in place since September 5. CONTAINS GRAPHIC CONTENT. (Reuters)
And now this:
The head of the European Commission says an EU-Ukraine trade deal can only be changed by Brussels and Kyiv – not Moscow.
Jose Manuel Barroso made the remarks in a letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin released on October 1.
Ukraine's parliament ratified its agreement with the EU last month.
However, the implementation of the trade part of the deal has been delayed until January 2016 to appease Russia, which says the pact will hurt its markets.
Moscow has called for more three-way negotiations to amend the deal and threatened to curtail Ukraine's access to Russian markets if Kyiv implements it.
In his letter, Barroso warned Putin not to impose new trade measures, saying it would threaten the agreement with Russia to delay the EU-Ukraine pact.
From our news desk. More fighting in Donetsk:
Reports from eastern Ukraine say some 10 people have been killed in shelling in the rebel-held city of Donetsk.
Three people were reportedly killed when a shell exploded in a school playground on October 1.
Several others reportedly died when a shell hit a mini-van in a nearby street.
The blasts occurred as pupils returned to school, after the start of the school year was postponed from September 1 due to fighting between Ukrainian government forces and pro-Russian separatists.
Shelling has repeatedly been reported in Donetsk despite an September 5 cease-fire in the conflict, which has killed more than 3,000 people since April.
The Donetsk airport has been a focus of fighting since the cease-fire.
A rebel commander told the AP news agency on October 1 that the rebels controlled most of the airport.