Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe

Pro-Russian separatist rebels in eastern Ukraine on June 29 released a second group of four monitors from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) who had been seized on May 29.

The self-proclaimed "Donetsk People's Republic" intends to start integration with Russia's customs union and to gradually exit Ukraine's legislative scope, an official says.

Andrey Purgin, First Deputy Prime Minister of the "Republic", cited Ukraine's decision to sign an Association Agreement with the EU to be among the reasons for this move.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has extended the truce offered to pro-Russian rebels, which was to end Friday, until the end of June.

Administrations at the self-proclaimed "Donetsk People's Republic" and "Luhansk People's Republic" have generally agreed to hold on to the ceasefire, despite internal divisions, RIA Novosti quotes their officials as saying.

EU gives Russia by Monday to comply with conditions

BRUSSELS -- EU leaders on Friday threatened severe sanctions against Russia unless that country met four conditions related to the Ukrainian crisis "by Monday."

Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed to Parliament that an enactment allowing military intervention on Ukrainian territory be canceled, his press secretary reported.

The request was introduced "with the aim to normalize the situation" in the east of Ukraine, Dmitry Peskov was quoted by RIA Novosti as saying. 

Russian President Vladimir Putin is due to meet Austrian head of state Heinz Fischer in Vienna.

OMV and Gazprom officials are expected to seal deals on the South Stream pipeline during his visit, daily Die Presse reveals, citing high-profile sources.

Ceasefire in Ukraine's Donbass region was violated more than 20 times in the last 24 hours, Ukrainian President Poroshenko told German Chancellor Merkel.

He was quoted by Germany's Zeit Online as reporting the truce was "not being observed", just days after Kiev announced its troops were laying down arms used for months against pro-Russian rebels in the east and south.

BELGRADE – Serbia’s First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ivica Dacic met with the head of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Mission in Kosovo, Ambassador Jean-Claude Schlumberger, in Belgrade Wednesday.

The officials discussed activities of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a release.

BELGRADE - Jadranka Joksimovic, Serbia's minister responsible for EU integration, has said that the criticism that certain European institutions are voicing concerning the media freedom in Serbia will not put the country's EU path at risk.

EC "watching closely media situation in Serbia"

BRUSSELS -- The EC is watching closely the media situation in Serbia, and is in constant contact with the authorities, ombudsman and representatives of the civil society,

This is according to Peter Stano, spokesman for EU Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fule, who spoke in Brussels on Tuesday.