Latest on the gas talks:
The European Union says it hopes for a “positive outcome” at talks in Brussels on March 2 between the Russian and Ukrainian energy ministers over a gas dispute that is threatening deliveries to western Europe.
Aleksei Miller, head of Russia’s state-controlled Gazprom, was not attending.
Gazprom threatened last week to cut deliveries to Ukraine over what it says is a lack of payments.
It also has begun shipping supplies directly to Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine.
Russia says Kyiv must pay for shipments to separatists.
But Ukraine’s state-run Naftogaz says it won’t pay for shipments it does not receive.
Russian Energy Minister Aleksandr Novak says a $15 million payment made last week by Naftogaz will only cover Gazprom’s deliveries to Ukraine for another week.
The EU receives a third of its natural gas from Russia, with about half of that shipped through pipelines in Ukraine.
Latest from our news desk:
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has awarded the country's highest national honor to pilot Nadia Savchenko.
Savchenko was captured by pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine in June and taken to Russia, where she was charged with involvement in a mortar attack that killed two Russian journalists.
In a statement on March 2, Poroshenko said: "Nadia is a symbol of unbroken Ukrainian spirit and heroism, a symbol of the way one should defend and love Ukraine, a symbol of our victory."
Savchenko, who was awarded the “Gold Star of Hero of Ukraine” by Poroshenko, has been on hunger strike for 80 days.
She denies the charges against her, saying she was kidnapped and brought to Russia illegally.
Savchenko's sister, Vira, said on March 1 that her sister was "in fact in a very bad state.”
So Honcharenko has definitely returned to Ukraine:
A lawyer for Oleksiy Honcharenko, a Ukrainian lawmaker who was detained in Moscow on March 1, says his client has returned to Ukraine.
Lawyer Mark Feigin said March 2 that his client was freed after police dropped claims against Honcharenko.
Honcharenko was detained ahead of a march in memory of opposition politician Boris Nemtsov, who was shot dead on February 27.
Honcharenko said he was beaten and spent five hours in police custody before being released.
He had been ordered to appear in court on March 2 for a hearing on suspicion of refusing to comply with police demands before his release.
The Russian Investigative Committee said Honcharenko was being questioned about what Russian authorities said was his alleged involvement in a deadly fire that broke out in his home city, Odesa, during rival demonstrations by Ukrainians and pro-Russian separatists.
BREAKING: Kerry says after talks in Geneva with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov that the cease-fire agreement for eastern Ukraine must be implemented rather than being "a road to disappointment, potential deception, and further violence."
BREAKING: U.S. Secretary of John Kerry says the United States hopes the Ukraine cease-fire agreement will be implemented fully "in the next hours, certainly not more than days."
By RFE/RL
A lawyer for Oleksiy Honcharenko, a Ukrainian lawmaker who was detained in Moscow on March 1, says that a court hearing for his client has been canceled and he will return to Ukraine as soon as possible.
Lawyer Mark Feigin said on March 2 that his client would leave for Kyiv "on the first available flight."
Honcharenko was detained ahead of a march in memory of opposition politician Boris Nemtsov, who was shot dead on February 27.
Honcharenko says he was beaten and spent five hours in police custody before release.
He had been ordered to appear in court on March 2 for a hearing on suspicion of refusing to comply with police demands, but Moscow police said earlier in the day that they had "no claims" against him.
The Russian Investigative Committee had said Honcharenko was being questioned about what Russian authorities say was his alleged involvement in a deadly fire that broke out in his home city, Odesa, during rival demonstrations by Ukrainians and pro-Russian separatists.