Foreign relations of Ukraine

Ukrainian FM Pavlo Klimkin has met with Ukrainian Ambassador to Serbia Oleksandr Aleksandrovych to discuss "current issues in bilateral relations."

Aleksandrovych was last week summoned to Kiev for consultations.

A new ceasefire agreement must enter into force in Eastern Ukraine as of Monday, reported BNR.

It was negotiated by the foreign ministers of Germany, France, Russia and Ukraine during a meeting at the Conference on Security in Munich.

Serbian First Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic has warned that his country is not a part of the common EU security policy.

He did so on Tuesday during a meeting of the Visegrad Group, the Western Balkans Six, and their neighbors, held in Warsaw, Poland.

The European Union will extend sanctions against Russian and Ukrainian individuals and companies accused of backing pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine by six months, AFP and Interfax reported on Wednesday, citing diplomats.

Calling the situation in eastern Ukraine "explosive", Germany's foreign minister urged both parties in the conflict to come together quickly for talks to prevent a spiral in violence. 

The European parliament (EP) has adopted a non-binding resolution asking for sanctions targeting Russia to be extended.

The reason is the country's "actions in the conflict in Ukraine." The resolution, passed on Thursday, also calls for "unity in opposing Moscow's policy."

A new wave of war in eastern Ukraine has been provoked by Ukrainian security forces ahead of the upcoming EU summit, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said.

According to Peskov, Kiev has breached the Minsk agreement, while Moscow expects the OSCE, which has an observer mission in the war zone, to soon react.

Serbian FM won't travel to Kiev after "change of format"

BELGRADE -- Ukraine has "changed the format" of its marking of the anniversary of WW2 victory over fascism, and Serbian FM Ivica Dacic will not be attending.

The German government on Monday voiced concerns over the lack of a comprehensive ceasefire in Ukraine which should have taken effect more than a week ago.

Germany is not satisfied with the course of implementation of the agreements reached in Minsk, German government spokesman Steffen Seibert said.

Both sides in Ukraine's conflict have agreed to pull back their heavy weapons from the frontline in accordance with a UN-backed truce, a Ukrainian military official told AFP on Feb. 22.