Germany's Angela Merkel warned on Saturday that sending arms to help Ukraine fight pro-Russian separatists would not solve the crisis there, drawing a sharp rebuke from a leading U.S. senator who accused Berlin of turning its back on an ally in distress.

• February 7, 2015

Russian Deputy Defence Minister Anatoly Antonov is the highest-profile target of new sanctions due to be formally endorsed by European Union foreign ministers on Monday, diplomatic sources told Reuters.

• February 6, 2015

NATO's top military commander, U.S. General Philip Breedlove, said on Friday the West should be ready to use "all tools in the tool bag" to help Ukraine fight pro-Russian separatists, though he did not specify if that should include arming Kiev.

• February 6, 2015

European defense officials warned on Friday that arming Ukraine in its fight against pro-Russian separatists would only inflame the conflict, but were told by NATO's top soldier, an American general, that the West should consider using "all tools" if diplomacy with Moscow wasn't working.

• February 6, 2015

NATO defense ministers agreed on Thursday to set up a network of command centers in eastern Europe and more than double the size of its rapid reaction force to better protect the region in the event of any threat from Russia.

• February 5, 2015

Moscow would see any decision by the United States to give Ukraine lethal weapons as a threat to Russia's security, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said on Thursday.

• February 5, 2015

European Union governments have agreed on a list of new entities and Russian and pro-Moscow Ukrainian individuals who will suffer sanctions in the bloc, diplomats said on Thursday.

• February 5, 2015

Rosneft is raising money from Swiss trader Trafigura days before it must repay a $7 billion debt, industry sources said, seeking new funding options after the Russian central bank said its borrowing via the domestic bond market had added to pressure on the struggling rouble.

• February 4, 2015