Here are some more details on the expansion of U.S. sanctions against Russia:
U.S. Expands Russia Sanctions Over Ukraine Conflict
The United States has added 37 individuals and entities to its sanctions blacklist aimed at Russia over its continuing support for separatists in eastern Ukraine and the 2014 annexation of the Crimean Peninsula.
"Treasury stands with our partners in condemning Russia's violation of international law, and we will continue to sanction those who threaten Ukraine's peace, security, and sovereignty," John Smith, acting director of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control, said on September 1.
The United States blacklisted a number of Russian companies operating in Crimea, including construction firms Mostotrest and SGM-Most which helped to build a bridge from Russia to the peninsula, a statement said.
Six separatist representatives in eastern Ukraine and 11 officials in Crimea were also sanctioned.
Based on reporting by Reuters and AFP
Here's an item from our news desk on a tentative cease-fire in the Donbas:
Fighting Subsides In East Ukraine For New School Year
Violence has abated in Ukraine's east as the warring sides made a fresh attempt at a cease-fire in a separatist conflict that has killed more than 9,500 people since April 2014.
Speaking at a meeting of ministers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in Potsdam, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said on September 1 that the latest truce deal had sharply reduced military activities.
Steinmeier, who holds the rotating OSCE chair, said the reduction was a hopeful sign after months of increasing fighting along the lines of contact between government forces and Russia-backed separatists.
The trilateral contact group on Ukraine, which comprises representatives from Ukraine, Russia, and the OSCE, struck a deal last week for a cease-fire to coincide with the new school year.
A similar 2015 cease-fire held for less than a week.
In a joint statement, France's President Francois Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel stressed that the latest truce "must be the start of a lasting cease-fire."
"Germany and France are extremely concerned about the security situation in eastern Ukraine, especially along the line of contact" between separatists and government forces, they also said.