French President Francois Hollande at the G20 closing presser:
"First it is a problem for Ukraine -- it is a problem of relations between Ukraine and Russia. Then it is a problem between Russia and Europe, between Russia and the world -- with all those sanctions and with an atmosphere, including during this G20, where the Ukraine situation was not discussed during plenary sessions but mentioned during discussions that governments and head of states had on the sidelines. So if we want to open a new chapter or close the one that we know today, we need a solution to the Ukraine crisis."
German Chancellor Angela Merkel's said only this about her talks with Vladimir Putin in Brisbane:
"I had earlier said that there will be a meeting with Russian President [Vladimir Putin]. We have had a very basic and general conversation [on the sidelines of G20 summit] about the entire [Ukrainian] conflict. Obviously, the talks were confidential, which is why I will not go into details."
That concludes our live blogging for Sunday, November 16.
Russia's relations with EU member states continue to sour, our news desk reports:
Russia says it has expelled several Polish diplomats in response to recent expulsions of Russian diplomats by Warsaw.
In a statement on November 17, Russia's Foreign Ministry accused the Polish diplomats of activities inconsistent with their status, a phrase generally used for spying.
The ministry confirmed reports that Warsaw had expelled several Russian diplomats, citing the same accusation.
"The Polish authorities indeed took such an unfriendly and absolutely groundless step," the statement said.
"In connection with that, Russia has undertaken adequate measures in response and a number of Polish diplomats have already left the territory of our country for activities incompatible with their status," it added.
Polish Foreign Minister Grzegorz Schetyna was quoted as saying on November 17 that Warsaw considered Moscow's move a "symmetric response."
Relations between Moscow and European Union member states have been strained by the crisis in Ukraine and by EU sanctions imposed after Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine. (Reuters, Interfax, and AFP)
Fighting in eastern Ukraine continues to take a toll:
Security officials in Kyiv say six Ukrainian soldiers and three police officers have been killed in eastern Ukraine in the past 24 hours.
The officials said on November 17 that the three police officers were killed when they were shelled while out on patrol near Makarove in the Luhansk region. Five other police officers were wounded in the attack.
The soldiers were killed in separate incidents in the Donbas region, the officials said, adding that 23 rebels were also killed and 27 others wounded overnight.
The latest casualty reports came as European Union foreign ministers were set to discuss the conflict in Ukraine in Brussels later on November 17.
In an interview published on November 17, President Petro Poroshenko said Ukraine was "prepared for total war," as fighting between Ukrainian forces and pro-Russian separatists continues despite a September 5 cease-fire. (AFP and UNIAN)