Russia says Lavrov, Steinmeier to meet on Ukraine, Syria:
Moscow says that the Russian and German foreign ministers, Sergei Lavrov and Frank-Walter Steinmeier, will meet on August 15 to discuss the conflicts in Ukraine and Syria.
Russia's Foreign Ministry announced on its website on August 13 that the meeting will take place in the Russian city of Yekaterinburg.
Tensions between Russia and Ukraine escalated this week after President Vladimir Putin accused Ukraine of sabotage plans in Crimea, the peninsula Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014.
The meeting follows Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's visit to Russia this week where he discussed the Syrian conflict with Russian President Vladimir Putin, in their first meeting following a diplomatic rift after Turkey shot down a Russian warplane in November. (Reuters)
That concludes our live-blogging of the Ukraine crisis for Friday, August 12. Check back here tomorrow for more of our continuing coverage. Take care.
Excerpt:
PRESIDENT VLADIMIR PUTIN of Russia is again playing with fire. This time, it may be a summer bluff, or it may be a pretext to escalation of war with Ukraine. Either way, it reflects Mr. Putin’s determination to deceive and subvert whenever it suits his goals, at home and abroad, taking advantage of a distracted United States and Europe.