WATCH: Russian President Vladimir Putin dismissed charges announced against four men suspected of being involved in shooting down Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 in 2014, saying that there was no evidence. He said "dialogue" with Russia was required to find the truth, although the Dutch chief prosecutor said on June 19 that Moscow was not cooperating with international investigators.
EU Extends Sanctions On Russia Over Crimea For Another Year
By RFE/RL
BRUSSELS -- European Union leaders have agreed to extend the bloc’s economic sanctions penalizing Russia for its aggression in Ukraine.
"The Council [of EU member states] prolonged the restrictive measures introduced in response to the illegal annexation of Crimea and Sevastopol by Russia until 23 June 2020," the bloc said in a statement on June 20.
The EU, the United States, and other countries have imposed sanctions on Russia over Moscow's seizure of the Crimean Peninsula in March 2014 and its support for the separatists holding parts of the eastern Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Luhansk in a conflict that has killed some 13,000 people since April 2014.
Here is today's map of the latest situation in the Donbas conflict zone according to the Ukrainian Defense Ministry. (CLICK TO ENLARGE)
