Good morning. We'll start the live blog today with this item that our news desk posted overnight. It's not strictly related to Ukraine, but does indicate how Russia's actions there are reverberating further afield:
Russian Aggression On Agenda As Obama Hosts Nordic Leaders
Russia's increased military assertiveness will be at the top of the agenda when U.S. President Barack Obama meets with the leaders of five Nordic countries on May 13.
The leaders of Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Iceland are making a visit to the White House , where Obama will welcome the leaders for talks on pressing global security issues, including the crises in Syria and Iraq that have sent thousands of migrants flooding into Europe.
Moscow's annexation of Crimea in 2014 alarmed Russia's Nordic and Baltic neighbors. With NATO considering ways to try to deter further Russian aggression, the White House wants to show support for its northern European allies.
"It is a way of sending a signal that the United States is deeply engaged when it comes to the security of the region, and we will be actively discussing what steps we can collectively take to improve the situation," said Charles Kupchan, Obama's senior director for European affairs.
Based on reporting by Reuters
That concludes our live-blogging of the Ukraine crisis for Thursday, May 12. Check back here tomorrow morning for more of our continuing coverage.
Russian Eurovision Contestant's Surprising View On Crimea
By Claire Bigg
When Ukrainians selected a Crimean Tatar singer to represent their country at the Eurovision Song Contest earlier this year, many Russians were indignant.
The song performed by Jamala evokes the deportation of Crimean Tatars by Soviet dictator Josef Stalin and is widely viewed as a thinly-veiled criticism of Moscow's 2014 annexation of Crimea.
But Russia's own Eurovision entrant, a favorite to win this weekend's contest, can hardly be described as an admirer of the Kremlin's seizure of the peninsula or the jingoism behind it.
A video showing Russian contender Sergei Lazarev discussing the Crimean takeover has surfaced online, creating a stir among both fans and foes.
Read more here.