A ceasefire between Russian separatists and Ukrainian forces and surprisingly aggressive stimulus from Sweden's central bank injected optimism into global equity markets, which had been numbed by a stalemate over Greece debt negotiations.

• Date: 12.02.2015  |  Published on EGF: 12.02.2015  |  External Relations  |  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/

The European Union delayed putting more Ukrainian separatists and Russians on its sanctions list on Monday to give a Franco-German peace plan for Ukraine time to work.

• 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/