Rumors of secret deals fly before #Poroshenko and #Putin's Milan meeting today. http://t.co/HJ9P8VX9U3 pic.twitter.com/pHvkVTlLn2
— Katya Gorchinskaya (@kgorchinskaya) October 16, 2014
Here's a precis from our news desk of remarks from Putin ahead of his trip to Serbia today. Pretty feisty stuff, it seems:
Russian President Vladimir Putin has praised Moscow's "Serbian friends" and lashed out at the West in remarks published ahead of a state visit to Belgrade on October 16.
Criticizing sanctions that the United States and European Union have imposed on Moscow over its actions in Ukraine, Putin told the Serbian daily "Politika" that isolating Russia was an "absurd, illusory goal" and that attempts to do so could severely damage Europe's economy.
In a pointed reminder of Russia's nuclear might, Putin said: "We hope our partners will realize the futility of attempts to blackmail Russia and remember what consequences discord between major nuclear powers could bring for strategic stability."
Putin is to attend a military parade as Belgrade marks the anniversary of its liberation from the Nazis in 1944, a celebration Serbia moved forward four days to accommodate Putin's schedule.
"Seventy years ago, our peoples together crushed the criminal ideology of misanthropy that threatened civilization," Putin said.
In a veiled swipe at the United States, he said "it is important today that people in various countries, on various continents remember what terrible consequences certainty in one's own exceptionalism can bring."
Good morning. We'll start the Ukraine live blog today with this item from RFE/RL's news desk:
U.S. President Barack Obama and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko have discussed ways to better control the uneasy border between Russia and eastern Ukraine.
Obama and Poroshenko spoke by phone on October 15.
The White House says they discussed how all sides must live up to a cease-fire deal signed last month in Minsk.
The deal has helped reduce hostilities, but failed to completely halt fighting.
The White House says Obama and Poroshenko also discussed energy security, political reform, and Ukraine's effort to bolster its economy.
Obama praised the Ukrainian parliament's passage of legislation to fight corruption.
The call comes as Russian President Vladimir Putin is due to hold talks with Western leaders about Ukraine.
Putin will take part in a two-day Europe-Asia summit starting on October 16 in Milan.
The gathering offers him the first chance to discuss the Ukrainian crisis with EU leaders since his visit to France in June to attend D-Day anniversary commemorations.
The United States and Europe have sanctioned Moscow over its actions in Ukraine.
The West accuses Russia of sending troops and arms to the pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine, a charge the Kremlin denies.
In an interview with the Serbian daily "Politika," released by the Kremlin on October 15, Putin dismissed Western sanctions as an "absurd and illusory" attempt to isolate Russia.
"It is obviously impossible to achieve it, but the economic health of Europe and the world can be seriously undermined," said Putin, who will make a stopover in Serbia on October 16 before travelling on to Milan.
Putin harshly criticized Obama for mentioning Russia as a major threat to humanity alongside the Ebola virus and the Islamic State group.
"We hope that our partners will realize the futility of attempts to blackmail Russia and remember what consequences discord between major nuclear powers could bring for strategic stability," he said.
Presidential foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov said that Putin will meet on October 16 with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and attend a dinner involving other leaders.
Merkel said she expects to discuss the fulfillment of the cease-fire.
"I expect an open exchange of views and progress in implementing the Minsk agreement. ... We will talk about how we can transform the Minsk agreement into reality," Merkel told reporters in Berlin.
Late last month, Merkel said the EU still wasn't considering removing the sanctions because of ongoing fighting.
(AP, TASS)
This ends our live-blogging for October 15. Be sure to check back tomorrow for our continuing coverage.