Ukraine said on Wednesday its president had agreed with Russia's Vladimir Putin on steps towards a "ceasefire regime" in Kiev's conflict with pro-Russian rebels, but the Kremlin denied any actual truce deal, sowing confusion on the eve of a NATO summit.

• September 3, 2014

World markets jumped on Wednesday as Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko said a ceasefire had been reached with Russia, raising hopes that a recent escalation in the conflict could be reversed.

• September 3, 2014

Australia Prime Minister Tony Abbott said on Wednesday he hoped to sign a deal this week to sell uranium to India for peaceful power generation, but halted uranium exports to Russia over Moscow's role in Ukraine.

• September 3, 2014

European officials proposed sweeping new sanctions on Tuesday to starve Russia's companies of capital and technology as punishment for Moscow's intervention in Ukraine, where Kiev officials said Russia was bolstering an "invasion" force.

• September 2, 2014

Ukraine may need as much as $19 billion in additional funds from donors if its conflict with pro-Russian separatists continues during 2015, the International Monetary Fund warned on Tuesday.

• September 2, 2014

NATO needs a clear and visible presence in eastern Europe to deter Russian aggression but Alliance members also must increase military spending after years of cuts, Estonian Prime Minister Taavi Roivas said on Tuesday.

• September 2, 2014

Pro-Russia separatists sat down for preliminary peace talks with Ukraine in the Belarussian capital Minsk on Monday saying they would be prepared to stay part of Ukraine if they were granted "special status", according to Russian news agencies.

• September 1, 2014

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko accused Russia on Monday of "direct and open aggression" which he said had radically changed the battlefield balance as Kiev's forces suffered a further reverse in the war with pro-Moscow separatists.

• September 1, 2014