Good morning. We'll start the live blog with this item that our news desk issued overnight:
Biden Urges Poroshenko To Quickly Establish Unified Government
U.S. Vice President Joe Biden has urged Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko to quickly reestablish a unified government and carry out reforms sought by the West.
The need to move quickly to quell a political crisis in the wake of the resignation last week of widely respected Ukrainian Economy Minister Aivaras Abromavicius, who cited corruption within the government, was discussed in a phone call between the two leaders on February 11, the White House said.
The conversation came one day after Poroshenko talked with International Monetary Fund (IMF) managing director Christine Lagarde and assured her that he remains committed to economic reform and rooting out corruption despite Abromavicius's charges.
Lagarde had warned that Ukraine's $17.5 billion loan program was at risk unless the government proceeds with reforms linked to the financial aid.
"The vice president urged the governing coalition to quickly establish unity to allow Ukraine to move forward with reforms, in line with the commitments in its IMF program," the White House said.
Biden and Poroshenko also discussed an uptick in violence in eastern Urkaine and "expressed serious concern about the worsening security situation" there, it said.
Based on reporting by AFP and Reuters
That concludes our live-blogging of the Ukraine crisis for Thursday, February 11. Check back here tomorrow for more of our continuing coverage.
Some breathless tweets coming right now from Melbourne-based photojournalist Bryce Wilson, who's in eastern Ukraine:
Putin Pulls Levers As Russian Patriarch, PM Head Abroad
By Steve Gutterman
With the Russian patriarch and prime minister both holding big meetings abroad, this weekend presents a chance for President Vladimir Putin to soothe a world still stunned by Moscow's aggression in Ukraine and dismayed by its bombing campaign in Syria.
Russian Orthodox Church chief Kirill holds historic talks with Pope Francis at the airport in Havana, Cuba, on February 12, the first such meeting since Christendom split in two more than 1,000 years ago.
Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev will speak at the annual Munich Security Conference on February 12-14 -- the same forum at which Putin ripped into Washington and the West in a 2007 address that set the tone for years of discord.
Facing deep economic troubles and persistent Western sanctions, Putin may be looking for ways to alleviate Russia's isolation.
But will he use the high-profile meetings of two top allies to build real bridges, or to execute tactical moves in a mounting confrontation with the United States and Europe?
Signs point to something far short of the first and closer to the second: an effort to improve Russia's global image and score points with the West without giving ground on the gritty issues of Syria and Ukraine -- or even the deep-rooted disputes between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church.
The clearest of those signs, perhaps, is the fact that Putin is not attending the security conference.
"I will not come to Munich," he said bluntly in an interview with German tabloid Bild last month.
Why not?
Read more here.
IMF Demand For Ukraine Reform Just Latest Red Flag For Poroshenko
By Tony Wesolowsky
A stinging rebuke from the head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has underscored the precarious spot in which Ukraine finds itself despite Kyiv's repeated pledges to tackle corruption and enact major reforms.
IMF head Christine Lagarde's call on February 10 for "a substantial new effort" from Ukraine's leadership carries particular weight due to fears that the fund could suspend its $17.5 billion portion of an international bailout to help the country kick-start its economy, stay on a democratic track, and weather an ongoing conflict with Russia.
The IMF's stark language set off alarm bells in Kyiv, where President Petro Poroshenko quickly telephoned Lagarde to assure her and allies such as the United States that he recognized the need to "reboot" the government.
The government's approval ratings have tumbled and it could face a no-confidence vote in the coming days, ushering in more uncertainty for a country already on a war footing.
But Poroshenko's quoted remarks to Lagarde also appeared to highlight the risk in the current climate of dramatic showdowns in Ukraine, whose economy and currency have collapsed since unrest in 2014 unseated a pro-Russian president and unleashed invasion plans in Moscow. Poroshenko reminded critics of the desire to avoid "snap elections, which would only deepen the political crisis and worsen conditions for carrying out reform," according to a statement on Poroshenko's website.
Read more of the story here.