Good morning. We'll start the live blog today with this item from our news desk on Obama and Putin's talk yesterday evening. Needless to say, Ukraine was one of the items on the agenda:
Obama, Putin Discuss Syria, Ukraine
U.S. President Barack Obama has emphasized to Russian President Vladimir Putin the importance of Moscow playing a constructive role by ceasing its air campaign against moderate opposition forces in Syria.
The White House said that Obama made the point in a phone conversation with the Russian president on February 14.
Obama also spoke of the need for getting humanitarian aid to populations besieged by fighting in the country. The phone conversation comes after world powers agreed in Munich on February 12 to work for a humanitarian truce in Syria to begin in a week's time.
The Kremlin said that Putin stressed to Obama the need to create a united international front against global terrorism.
Putin reportedly said that closer contacts are needed between U.S. and Russian military officials in order to successfully counter Islamic State and other terrorist groups.
Putin also expressed the hope that authorities in Ukraine will "promptly fulfill their obligations" under the Minsk process to regulate the conflict in eastern Ukraine between Kyiv and Russia-backed separatist militants, according to the Kremlin statement.
On February 13, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Moscow has failed to implement its obligations under the Minsk process, including the withdrawal of Russian forces from Ukraine and handing over to Kyiv complete control over Ukraine's borders.
Based on reporting by Reuters, Interfax, and TASS
Our news desk has just issued this item:
Ukraine Bans Russian Freight Transit In Tit-For-Tat Move
Ukraine has banned Russian cargo trucks from entering the country one day after Moscow imposed a similar ban on Ukrainian trucks.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk announced in Kyiv on February 15 that "Ukraine has temporarily suspended…transit permits for cargo vehicles with Russian registration."
Moscow imposed the ban on February 14 in response to an incident on February 11 when Ukrainian nationalists blocked Russian trucks from entering the country via Belarus.
Konstantin Kosachev, chairman of the International Affairs Committee of Russia's Federation Council, wrote on Facebook that Ukraine was "provoking" Russia in order to "paint Russia's response as aggression and a violation of rights."