Ukraine and Russian-backed rebels fought fiercely across the east of the country on Friday despite a new peace deal brokered by Germany and France.

• Date: 13.02.2015  |  Published on EGF: 13.02.2015  |  Security  |  from http://www.reuters.com/

Germany, France, Russia and Ukraine agreed a deal on Thursday that offers a "glimmer of hope" for an end to fighting in eastern Ukraine after marathon overnight talks.

• Date: 12.02.2015  |  Published on EGF: 12.02.2015  |  Security  |  from http://www.reuters.com/

The leaders of France, Germany, Russia and Ukraine were due to attend a peace summit on Wednesday, but Ukraine's pro-Moscow separatists diminished the chance of a deal by launching some of the war's worst fighting in an assault on a government garrison.

• Date: 11.02.2015  |  Published on EGF: 11.02.2015  |  External Relations  |  from http://www.reuters.com/

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday he expected that there would be a new round of talks on the Syria conflict following from a meeting of some opposition figures and the Damascus government in Moscow last month.

• Date: 10.02.2015  |  Published on EGF: 10.02.2015  |  External Relations  |  from http://www.reuters.com/

U.S. President Barack Obama made clear he was some way from a decision on whether to arm Ukraine in its conflict against Russian-backed rebels, saying on Monday he still hoped for a diplomatic solution.

• Date: 09.02.2015  |  Published on EGF: 09.02.2015  |  External Relations  |  from http://www.reuters.com/

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.

• Date: 07.02.2015  |  Published on EGF: 07.02.2015  |  External Relations  |  from http://www.reuters.com/

NATO and Russia failed to narrow their differences over the Ukraine crisis in talks on Saturday but agreed they would keep talking to each other.

• Date: 07.02.2015  |  Published on EGF: 07.02.2015  |  External Relations  |  from http://www.reuters.com/

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.

• Date: 06.02.2015  |  Published on EGF: 06.02.2015  |  Security  |  from http://www.reuters.com/