Here is today's map of the security situation in eastern Ukraine, according to the National Security and Defense Council:
Trump Says He's Open To Shift On Russia Sanctions
By RFE/RL
President-elect Donald Trump will keep U.S. sanctions against Russia in place "at least for a period of time," he has said in an interview, adding that he would consider lifting the sanctions once Russian President Vladimir Putin proves he can be an ally.
"If you get along and if Russia is really helping us, why would anybody have sanctions if somebody’s doing some really great things?" Trump said in the interview published in The Wall Street Journal on January 13, a week before his inauguration.
Trump has said he wants to improve relations with Moscow and would take a second look at the sanctions, although several of his chosen cabinet members said this week that they support the restrictive measures.
In a move appeared designed to make it harder for Trump to roll back the sanctions after Barack Obama leaves office on January 20, the president extended on January 13 all U.S. sanctions on Russia over its annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula in March 2014 and its backing of separatists in the country’s east.
Obama said the Russian government and other people and organizations targeted by the sanctions have "undermined democratic processes and institutions in Ukraine" by their "use of force in Ukraine" and thereby "threaten its peace, security, stability, sovereignty, and territorial integrity."
Because of the threat to Ukraine, Obama added, Russia's actions "pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States."
Polish Leaders Welcome U.S. Troops As Part Of NATO Buildup
Polish leaders welcomed U.S. troops to their country on January 14, with Prime Minister Beata Szydlo saying it was a "great day" that would help ensure the region's security.
About 3,500 American soldiers have been deployed as part of NATO troop rotations in Eastern Europe aimed at reassuring regional allies following Russian moves against Ukraine.
"This is an important day for Poland, for Europe, for our common defense," Szydlo said on January 14 at a ceremony in the western town of Zagan.
Polish Defense Minister Antoni Macierewicz said the troops would help ensure "freedom, independence, and peace in Europe and the whole world."
"This is America's most capable fighting force -- a combat-ready, highly trained U.S. armored brigade with our most advanced equipment and weaponry," said U.S. Ambassador to Poland Paul Jones at the Zagan ceremony.
"This force embodies America's ironclad commitment to honor our NATO treaty obligation to defend our NATO allies," he added. "And as threats grow, U.S. military deployments also grow."
Russia has been highly critical of the troop deployment, which comes in reactions to Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea from Ukraine in March 2014 and its backing of separatists in the country’s east.
"These actions threaten our interests, our security," President Vladimir Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said on January 12. "Especially as it concerns a third party building up its military presence near our borders."
Based on reporting by AFP, AP, and CNN
Barring any major developments, that ends the live blog for tonight.