Pro-Russian rebels launched new attacks against Ukrainian government positions on Sunday, the Kiev army said, as Western countries threatened more sanctions against Moscow for backing a new separatist offensive.

• Date: 25.01.2015  |  Published on EGF: 25.01.2015  |  Security  |  from http://www.reuters.com/

Pro-Moscow rebels, backed by what NATO says is the open participation of Russian troops, pressed on with their offensive on Sunday after restarting the war in eastern Ukraine with the first all-out assault since a truce five months ago.

• Date: 25.01.2015  |  Published on EGF: 25.01.2015  |  Security  |  from http://www.reuters.com/

Russian President Vladimir Putin blamed on Friday what he said were Kiev's "criminal orders" for a surge in fighting in east Ukraine in which civilians have been killed.

• Date: 23.01.2015  |  Published on EGF: 23.01.2015  |  External Relations  |  from http://www.reuters.com/

NATO has detected signs of heightened Russian involvement in fighting in parts of eastern Ukraine, the alliance's top military commander said on Thursday.

• Date: 22.01.2015  |  Published on EGF: 22.01.2015  |  External Relations  |  from http://www.reuters.com/

Germany's Angela Merkel said on Wednesday she hoped a new round of talks with Ukraine and Russia in Berlin could help implement an elusive ceasefire in eastern Ukraine but warned against expecting too much, given another upsurge in the violence.

• Date: 21.01.2015  |  Published on EGF: 21.01.2015  |  External Relations  |  from http://www.reuters.com/

Ukraine on Tuesday accused pro-Russian separatists of taking advantage of a ceasefire deal signed last September to seize more territory in the east and said Kiev would demand its return in any future peace talks.

• Date: 20.01.2015  |  Published on EGF: 20.01.2015  |  External Relations  |  from http://www.reuters.com/

China on Monday lodged a protest with Tokyo after Japanese media quoted Japan's foreign minister as saying that a disputed border region between China and India belonged to India, in the latest source of friction between the two Asian rivals.

• Date: 19.01.2015  |  Published on EGF: 19.01.2015  |  External Relations  |  from http://www.reuters.com/

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu accused his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday of terrorism and said Israeli "provocations" such as the bombardment of Gaza were contributing to radicalization in the Muslim world.

• Date: 17.01.2015  |  Published on EGF: 17.01.2015  |  External Relations  |  from http://www.reuters.com/