The European Union has adopted a series of further sanctions on Russia, as a ceasefire between the Ukranian government and pro-Russian separatists continued on Monday.
The move comes as Russia threatened to prevent its European gas customers from re-exporting to Ukraine – a move that would effectively cut off Ukraine's gas supply.
The new sanctions, though, have not been put into place yet, with the European Commission's Pia Ahrenkilde-Hansen saying,
A ceasefire between the Ukrainian government and pro-Russian separatists, who have continued to clash in the region, was described by the head of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) as "shaky".
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko visited the city of Mariupol on Monday, where he announced the separatists had released some 1,200 prisoners. Announcing the release in the city, which has seen shelling by the separatists, Poroshenko went on to tweet that "Mariupol is Ukraine. We will not surrender this land to anyone."
Meanwhile a senior United Nations official stated that over 3,000 people had been killed in the Ukrainian conflict so far. Ivan Simonovic, the UN assistant secretary general for human rights, said the figure included those killed aboard flight MH17, adding,
The move comes as Russia threatened to prevent its European gas customers from re-exporting to Ukraine – a move that would effectively cut off Ukraine's gas supply.
The new sanctions, though, have not been put into place yet, with the European Commission's Pia Ahrenkilde-Hansen saying,
"The sanctions package can be extended or stopped, depending on developments in the field."European Union Council President Herman van Rompuy said they were aimed at "promoting a change of course in Russia's actions destabilising eastern Ukraine".
A ceasefire between the Ukrainian government and pro-Russian separatists, who have continued to clash in the region, was described by the head of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) as "shaky".
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko visited the city of Mariupol on Monday, where he announced the separatists had released some 1,200 prisoners. Announcing the release in the city, which has seen shelling by the separatists, Poroshenko went on to tweet that "Mariupol is Ukraine. We will not surrender this land to anyone."
Meanwhile a senior United Nations official stated that over 3,000 people had been killed in the Ukrainian conflict so far. Ivan Simonovic, the UN assistant secretary general for human rights, said the figure included those killed aboard flight MH17, adding,
"This number includes killings registered based on available resources and … the actual number may be significantly higher.”