Good morning. We'll start the live blog today with a couple of analysis pieces that are worth reading:
White House: Trump made it clear Russia must "return Crimea":
By RFE/RL
The White House says U.S. President Donald Trump has made it clear that he expects the Russian government to "return" the occupied region of Crimea to Ukraine and to "de-escalate violence" in eastern Ukraine, where Russia-backed separatists have been fighting against Ukrainian government forces for nearly three years.
Speaking at a February 14 press conference, White House spokesman Sean Spicer said that "at the same time," Trump "fully expects to and wants to get along with Russia."
Trump's U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, strongly condemned Russia on February 3 during her first appearance at the UN Security Council, saying "Crimea is a part of Ukraine" and that U.S. Crimea-related sanctions will remain in place until Russia returns control over the peninsula to Ukraine."
Russia seized and illegally annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014. (w/Reuters, AP)
Former lawmaker who defected to Ukraine lambasts Russia:
Former Russian State Duma Deputy Denis Voronenkov, who defected to Ukraine last year, has called Russia's 2014 annexation of Ukraine's Crimea region " a mistake."
In an interview with the Ukraine-based Censor.net online news portal, Voronenkov compared the present-day Russia with Nazi Germany -- saying that Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) controls everything in the country, including the State Duma.
Voronenkov also said he had testified against former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, who was toppled by violent pro-European protests in Kyiv in February 2014.
"Yanukovych is a puppet. He resigned himself and his request [for the Kremlin] to send Russian troops [to Ukraine] was unlawful," Voronenkov said.
He also said that Russia had gone "crazy on its pseudo-patriotic madness."
"Crimea has united Russia around the idea to steal something from a neighbor," Voronenkov said.
Voronenkov and his wife, Maria Maksakova, who is also a former Russian lawmaker, left Russia for Ukraine in October 2016 after the Russian Prosecutor-General's Office refused to launch a probe against his alleged involvement in an illegal property seizure in Moscow. The probe was recommended by the federal Investigative Committee.
Voronenkov says he obtained Ukrainian citizenship in December. (Censor.net)
The former commander of the Russia-backed separatist forces in eastern Ukraine, Russian Igor Girkin (aka Strelkov), has told Russian TV he expects to be killed by the Kremlin:
"Zakharchenko is a motormouth. That's a clear fact that all people able to decide for themselves and take responsibility for their words were eliminated or excluded from Donetsk. It is clear that no one will do anything without the political will of Moscow. After all, Donbas problems are rooted in the Kremlin. If the Kremlin decides to act, neglecting its own interests, like daughters in London and granddaughters in Paris, we will win,'' he said.
Girkin continue to criticize Russian government but is afraid for his future. "You will probably celebrate my death soon. I'm still surprised that I can walk around. Still I'm not sure if God will be so merciful for a long time," Girkin said.