Kerry plans to visit Russia within the week
PARIS (AP) -- U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry says he hopes to visit Russia within the next week for talks on the crisis in Syria and Ukraine.
Kerry said Wednesday in Paris that he is planning to visit Moscow "in a week" to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on the two matters.
If he makes the trip, it will come ahead of a planned international diplomatic meeting on Syria at the United Nations on December 18, at which the U.N. Security Council expects to adopt a resolution in support of peace talks between the Syrian government and opposition.
It would be Kerry's second visit to Russia this year and second since Moscow's intervention in Ukraine. He traveled to Sochi in May to see Putin and Lavrov.
More than 9,000 killed since start of Ukraine conflict: UN
Geneva, Dec 9, 2015 (AFP) -- More than 9,000 people have been killed since the conflict in Ukraine began, the United Nations said Wednesday, warning that even though fighting had abated, millions were stuck in precarious situations.
In its latest report on the situation in Ukraine, the UN human rights office said that between August 16 and November 15, 47 civilians were killed and 131 injured in the conflict zones of eastern Ukraine -- sharply down from the previous three-month period.
But nonetheless, at least 9,098 people -- including civilians, soldiers and militia members -- have perished since the beginning of the conflict in mid-April 2014 until the middle of last month, with another 20,732 injured, the report said.
IMF Changes Rule On Debt For Ukraine, Russia Complains
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has changed a rule that would have blocked its financial aid program to Ukraine in the event the country defaulted on its debt owed to Russia.
IMF spokesman Gerry Rice said the executive agreed on December 8 to “change the current policy on nontoleration of arrears to official creditors," such as a government.
Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov criticized the decision as “hasty and biased,” saying it was taken “exclusively to the detriment of Russia."
"We are preparing documents for a court appeal," he added.
The move comes as cash-short Ukraine faces a December 20 deadline to repay Russia for a $3 billion loan.
Ukraine is restructuring its debts under an IMF-led $40 billion bailout program.
Defaulting on the Eurobond loan could have put the program at risk.
Based on reporting by Reuters and AFP
That concludes our live-blogging of the Ukraine crisis for December 8. Check back here tomorrow morning for more of our ongoing coverage.