We are now closing the live blog for today, but we'll be back again tomorrow morning to follow all the latest developments. Until then, you can keep up with all our other Ukraine coverage here.
More on the new Canadian foreign minister, who has Ukrainian roots:
Some pretty heavy hitters have signed this letter, including former Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bildt, former Slovak Prime Minister Mikulas Dzurinda, and former Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves:
Here's a taster:
We -- decision-makers and public figures from across Europe -- welcome your election as America’s 45th president. We are eager to work with your administration to sustain our powerful transatlantic Alliance, jointly defending our way of life at a time of great peril.
Russia’s continuing efforts to destabilize Ukraine, and its illegal annexation of Crimea, threaten the peace, predictability and security that Americans and Europeans created together through our victory in the Cold War. We are concerned that the prospect of a new grand bargain with Russia will endanger this historic achievement.
It would be a grave mistake to end the current sanctions on Russia or accept the division and subjugation of Ukraine. Doing so would demoralize those seeking a Euro-Atlantic orientation for that country. It would also destabilize our Eastern neighborhood economically and give heart to extremist, oligarchic and anti-Western elements there.
The wider damage would be grave too. The aftershocks of such a deal would shake American credibility with allies in Europe and elsewhere. The rules-based international order on which Western security has depended for decades would be weakened. The alliances that are the true source of American greatness would erode: countries that have expended blood, treasure and political capital in support of transatlantic security will wonder if America is now no longer a dependable friend.
Have no doubt: Vladimir Putin is not America’s ally. Neither is he a trustworthy international partner. Both of the presidents who preceded you tried in their own ways to deal with Russia’s leadership in the spirit of trust and friendship. Big mistake: Putin treated their good intentions as opportunities.
Read the entire letter with its full list of signatories here
From the U.K.'s foreign secretary:
Here's a video from our multimedia department on NATO forces arriving in Germany as part of exercises that one commander has called "a direct response to the destabilizing efforts of the Russian government in Ukraine":
NATO Prepares New Show Of Force In Eastern Europe
Hundreds of U.S. tanks and armored vehicles arrived in Germany, for a new show of strength on the border with Russia.
