From the Ukrainian president's own website, in English:
President of Ukraine discussed regime of complete ceasefire with President of Russia
President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko had a phone conversation with President of Russia Vladimir Putin.
The conversation resulted in an agreement on ceasefire regime in the Donbas. The parties reached mutual understanding on the steps that will facilitate the establishment of peace.
Just in from our news desk:
President Barack Obama says he has assured Estonia of U.S. support for regional security in the Baltics and the "unbreakable" U.S. commitment to defend any NATO member state against attack.
At a news conference in Tallinn on September 3 with Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves, Obama spoke of Russian "aggression against Ukraine" and said “Estonia will never stand alone.”
Obama said that Russia’s role in the conflict in eastern Ukraine "gives us an opportunity to understand the importance” of updating and bolstering NATO's defense capabilities.
The Estonian president said that "Russia must admit that it is a party to the conflict and take genuine steps for a de-escalation” of the crisis.
After their bilateral talks, Obama and Ilves were to meet with Latvian President Andris Berzins and Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite.
Today's situation map from the Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council:
RFE/RL correspondent Andrei Babitsky went to a rebel base in the village of Pisky near the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk on September 2. One fighter of the Vostok separatist battalion said the pro-Russian rebels have "enough experience and ammunition" to seize parts of the Donetsk region that are under Ukrainian control. (Video by RFE/RL's Moldova Service)
Workers cleared an abandoned Ukrainian checkpoint near the village of Olenivka in the Donetsk region on September 2. Remains of armored vehicles were scattered across the road at the checkpoint, situated en route from Donetsk to the southeastern port city of Mariupol. The Ukrainian army used Olenivka as a base for attacks on separatist forces in Donetsk, the provincial capital just about 25 kilometers away, but was forced out by the pro-Russian rebel fighters. (Video by Reuters)
Slovakia on September 2 launched a pipeline capable of delivering natural gas from the European Union to Ukraine. Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, and Klaus-Dieter Borchardt, director for energy markets at the European Commission, attended the ceremony in the Slovak town of Velke Kapusany. The pipeline could potentially supply up to 20 percent of Ukraine's annual consumption as Kyiv grapples with a halt of Russia supplies ahead of winter. (Video by Reuters)
As pro-Russian separatists made advances against Ukrainian forces near Donetsk, residents of the southeastern port city of Mariupol some 100 kilometers from the provincial capital took part in combat training offered by members of Ukraine's Azov volunteer battalion. Trainees said they were prepared to wage a "partisan war" if the rebel forces were to reach their city. (Video by RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service)
