Good morning. We'll start the live blog today with a few of the tweets that caught our eye overnight:
That concludes our live-blogging of the Ukraine crisis for Thursday, June 8, 2017. Check back here tomorrow for more of our continuing coverage. Thanks for reading and take care.
White House Says Russia Sanctions To Remain Until Ukraine Crisis Resolved
A spokeswoman for U.S. President Donald Trump says sanctions against Russia for its interference in Ukraine would remain in place until the crisis is resolved.
Spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders on June 8 said the United States "is committed to existing sanctions against Russia."
She added the administration will keep them in place "until Moscow fully honors its commitments to resolve the crisis in Ukraine."
"We believe that the existing executive-branch sanctions regime is the best tool for compelling Russia to fulfill its commitments," she added in an off-camera briefing with reporters.
The United States and other Western nations imposed sanctions on Moscow in 2014 for its illegal annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula and its support for Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine.
President Donald Trump has caused some concern among allies about his commitment to sanctions, praising Russian President Vladimir Putin and saying he wants to improve relations with Moscow.
Based on reporting by AP and Reuters
'We'll Put An End to Putin': Saakashvili Praises Chechen, Georgian Fighters In Ukraine
The former Georgian president and ex-governor of Odesa, Mikheil Saakashvili, has praised Chechen and Georgian fighters who are helping Ukrainian government forces battle Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine. In an exclusive interview with RFE/RL's North Caucasus Service on June 7 in Vienna, Saakashvili said Chechens and Georgians who had joined the conflict were fighting for freedom and would "put an end to" Russian President Vladimir Putin's regime. (RFE/RL's North Caucasus Service)
Here is today's map of the security situation in eastern Ukraine, according to the National Security and Defense Council:
