Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko listens during a news conference in Tallinn, Estonia January 23, 2017. REUTERS/Ints Kalnins

KIEV (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and U.S. President Donald Trump discussed strengthening cooperation on Saturday in a telephone call that also addressed the need to resolve Ukraine’s eastern conflict through diplomacy, Poroshenko said in a statement.

“The two sides discussed strengthening the strategic partnership between Ukraine and the United States,” the statement said.

“Particular attention was paid to the settlement of the situation in the Donbass (in eastern Ukraine) and achieving peace via political and diplomatic means,” it said.</s>Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and U.S. President Donald Trump discussed strengthening cooperation on Saturday in a telephone call that also addressed the need to resolve Ukraine's eastern conflict through diplomacy, Poroshenko said in a statement.

"The two sides discussed strengthening the strategic partnership between Ukraine and the United States," the statement said.

"Particular attention was paid to the settlement of the situation in the Donbass (in eastern Ukraine) and achieving peace via political and diplomatic means," it said.</s>U.S President Donald Trump said he was willing to work with both Kiev and Moscow to resolve a separatist conflict in eastern Ukraine, following a telephone call with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko on Saturday. The call was the first direct contact between the two leaders since the inauguration of Trump, whose aim to improve relations with the Kremlin has alarmed Kiev while the nearly three-year-old conflict remains unresolved.

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It followed fresh artillery attacks in Ukraine’s Donbass region, which broke a lull in shelling at a frontline hot-spot that had raised hopes the conflict’s worst escalation in months was waning. “We will work with Ukraine, Russia, and all other parties involved to help them restore peace along the border,” Trump said in a White House statement after talking to Poroshenko.

Trump’s open admiration for Russian President Vladimir Putin and campaign pledge to mend ties with Moscow have raised questions over his administration’s commitment to maintaining sanctions against Russia for its involvement in the fighting and annexation of Crimea from Ukraine.

Poroshenko’s office said the conversation with Trump paid particular attention to “settlement of the situation in the Donbass and achieving peace via political and diplomatic means.”

“The two sides discussed strengthening the strategic partnership between Ukraine and the United States,” it said in a statement.

Earlier the Ukrainian military and Russia-backed separatists accused each other of launching a new wave of shelling. The past week has seen a flare-up in hostilities in which more than 40 people have been killed in both government- and rebel-held areas.

The escalation near the town of Avdiyivka has left thousands on both sides of the front line with little or no access to power or water amid freezing winter temperatures, prompting aid agencies to warn of a possible humanitarian crisis.

The U.S. and EU sanctions against Russia are linked to accusations from Kiev and NATO that the Kremlin has fuelled the conflict by supporting separatists with troops and weapons – a charge it denies.

Russia says Ukraine instigated the latest surge to firm up Western support, while Kiev accuses the Kremlin of stirring up the violence to test the new U.S. administration’s will to involve itself in the crisis.

Trump said his respect for Putin would not affect his foreign policy.

“I respect a lot of people but that doesn’t mean I’m going to get along with him. He’s a leader of his country. I say it’s better to get along with Russia than not,” Trump said in an interview with Fox News host Bill O’Reilly on Saturday.</s>President Donald Trump said he was willing to work with both Kiev and Moscow to resolve a separatist conflict in eastern Ukraine, following a telephone call with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko on Saturday.

The call was the first direct contact between the two leaders since the inauguration of Trump, whose aim to improve relations with the Kremlin has alarmed Kiev while the nearly three-year-old conflict remains unresolved.

It followed fresh artillery attacks in Ukraine's Donbass region, which broke a lull in shelling at a frontline hot-spot that had raised hopes the conflict's worst escalation in months was waning.

"We will work with Ukraine, Russia, and all other parties involved to help them restore peace along the border," Trump said in a White House statement after talking to Poroshenko.</s>The US wants to work with Russia to end the separatist conflict in eastern Ukraine, President Donald Trump has said.

In a telephone call with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko on 4 February, Trump said he would work with "Ukraine, Russia and all other parties involved to help them restore peace along the border," according to a White House readout of the conversation.

Poroshenko's office told Reuters that the leaders discussed "settlement of the situation in the Donbass and achieving peace via political and diplomatic means".

"The two sides discussed strengthening the strategic partnership between Ukraine and the United States," it said.

The phone conversation took place following intense fighting between Ukrainian troops and Russian-backed rebel forces in eastern Ukraine that reportedly left at least 35 people dead.

On 4 February, Oleg Anashchenko, a senior rebel commander, was killed in a car bomb attack in Luhansk.

The conflict in Ukraine began with Russia's annexation of Crimea in March 2014.

The US imposed sanctions on Moscow in response to its actions in eastern Ukraine, but the election victory of Trump – an open admirer of Russian President Vladimir Putin – had raised concerns that Washington's Ukraine policy might shift.

In an interview with Fox News over the weekend, Trump insisted that his "respect" for Putin would not influence his foreign policy decisions.

"I do respect him, but I respect a lot of people," he said. "That doesn't mean I'm going to get along with him."

The president added that he would rather get along with the Russian leader than otherwise and that he would appreciate any help from Moscow in the fight against Islamic State (Isis) in Syria and Iraq.

"But, [Putin] is a killer," Fox News host Bill O'Reilly said.

"There are a lot of killers," Trump replied. "We've got a lot of killers. What do you think? Our country's so innocent?"</s>WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Donald Trump told Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko the United States will work to restore peace along the border with Russia.</s>During an unusual private meeting on the sidelines of Thursday’s National Prayer Breakfast, President Donald Trump promised a Ukrainian opposition leader that the United States won’t lift sanctions on Russia until it pulls out of Ukraine, according to three people briefed on the meeting.

Within hours of meeting with both Trump and Vice President Mike Pence at the prayer breakfast, former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko relayed the contents of the meeting to separate audiences at the Heritage Foundation and the Hudson Institute, according to people who attended the off-the-record events at the conservative think tanks.

The sources said that Tymoshenko, a member of parliament who is positioning herself for a presidential campaign against the beleaguered incumbent president Petro Poroshenko, told the think tanks that Trump assured her he would “not abandon” Ukraine, which claims that Russian troops are responsible for increased fighting in the region near the countries’ shared border. The international community largely supports this view, but Moscow denies it and blames the fighting on pro-Russian separatists.

While Trump had suggested during his campaign that he might be willing to ease sanctions against Russia related to its aggression against Ukraine, Tymoshenko said Trump assured her he would do no such thing — unless Russia withdrew from Ukraine, according to the people who attended the briefings.

They said Tymoshenko, who is generally regarded as pro-Western, did not discuss specifics at the think tank events, which were by invitation only and were closed to the press. Notably, it was unclear whether the conditions indicated by Trump to Tymoshenko for lifting sanctions included Russian withdrawal from Crimea, a Ukrainian territory to the country’s south, which was annexed by Russia in 2014, and what Trump would consider a Russian withdrawal from eastern Ukraine, where Moscow has provided the separatists with arms and other support.

Still, one person who heard from Tymoshenko after the prayer breakfast, said “she definitely came away from her little tete-a-tete with Trump feeling somewhat calmer about the situation.”

And Tymoshenko’s characterization of her meetings with Trump and Pence would seem to mark a harsher tone towards Russia than the new president previously has struck publicly.

A Trump White House official would not discuss the specifics of the meeting, instead explaining “the President and the former Prime Minister had a brief, informal photo-op meeting in the reception before the National Prayer Breakfast. While no formal assurances were given, the United States remains concerned about violence in Eastern Ukraine.”

While Trump’s ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley this week rebuked Russia and declared the U.S. would leave in place its sanctions related to the annexation of Crimea, Trump himself has been much less confrontational.

Trump has expressed admiration for Russian president Vladimir Putin, indicated a willingness to consider easing the sanctions and at times disputed U.S. intelligence findings that Russian intelligence facilitated cyberattacks on Democratic officials and groups in an effort to boost Trump’s campaign against Democrat Hillary Clinton. And Trump’s Treasury Department this week tweaked sanctions levied by the Obama administration on a Russian spy agency in retaliation for the alleged cyberattacks.

A spokesman for the Heritage Foundation said “we do not discuss the deliberations of private meetings at Heritage,” while a spokeswoman for the Hudson Institute did not respond to requests for comment.

The Ukrainian embassy in Washington also did not respond to requests for comment.

But in foreign policy circles in Washington and Kiev, the Tymoshenko-Trump meeting was the subject of intense debate for its possible signals about Trump’s policy towards Ukraine and Russia, and also for its potential ramifications on Ukrainian domestic politics.

In both capitals, the meeting was seen as a major coup for Tymoshenko and an embarrassment for Poroshenko. The Ukrainian president, whose approval ratings have been soft, has been working assiduously to secure his own meeting with Trump, and has publicly suggested that such a meeting was imminent.

“I was one of the first world leaders to whom President Trump called immediately after the election, and we had quite a promising conversation.” Poroshenko last month told Bloomberg TV in an interview on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos. “We agreed that immediately after inauguration, we agreed the date of my visit to Washington, D.C., and the agenda of our negotiations would be quite big.”

The Washington lobbying and consulting firm retained by a Poroshenko-linked group sought to minimize the Tymoshenko meeting.

“According to participants in the Prayer Breakfast, Ms. Tymoshenko waited for President Trump in a corridor next to the restroom in the hope of catching him for a moment for a handshake,” said Jeff Birnbaum, president of BGR Public Relations, which represents the National Reform Council of Ukraine. “No real meeting took place. The President shook hands with many people and apparently one of them was Ms. Tymoshenko.”

But two operatives briefed on the reaction from within the Poroshenko administration said the Ukrainian president’s allies, including his ambassador to the U.S., Valeriy Chaly, were apoplectic when they learned of Tymoshenko’s meeting.

One of the operatives, an American who has worked in Ukraine, called it a “vote of no confidence” from Trump for Poroshenko. The operative attributed Trump’s willingness to meet with Tymoshenko at least in part to efforts during the election by Ukrainian government officials to help Clinton and undermine Trump, which POLITICO revealed last month.

“That was probably an issue,” said the American operative, “but there are a lot of forces at play here.”

The other operative, a political consultant with connections to the Poroshenko administration, said “the administration is furious with the meeting.” The consultant said Poroshenko’s team intends to take the position that the meeting “wasn't important, and they will try to ignore it as much as possible.” But the consultant added that “diplomatically, it was a slap in the face. They're mad and don't know what to do, and what will come next.”

Indeed, it’s rare for a U.S. president to meet with a foreign opposition leader before meeting with the country’s head of state.

A political analyst familiar with the discussions in Kiev said Haley’s comments have calmed some fears about the Trump administration leaving Ukraine in the lurch, even as there’s still lingering confusion about precisely where Trump stands on the issue.

“People are very worried about Trump,” said the analyst. “They are making a very concerted effort to reach out to the new administration.”

Citing the possibility that Poroshenko might be able to meet with Pence on the sidelines of an upcoming security conference in Munich, the analyst said, “There's hope in Kiev that Pence will play the same role as [former Vice President Joe] Biden,” who was seen as an advocate for Ukraine inside the Obama administration.

But Hannah Thoburn, a Hudson Institute research fellow specializing in Russia and Ukraine, said it’s not difficult to imagine Trump and Tymoshenko developing their own rapport.

“They're both business people and they both have a flare for presentation,” said Thoburn, who wouldn’t comment on Tymoshenko’s visit to Hudson. “I can imagine her and Trump getting along well.”</s>A tank from the Ukrainian Forces is stationed outside a building in the flashpoint eastern town of Avdiivka that sits just north of the pro-Russian rebels' de facto capital of Donetsk. Pic/AFP



Washington: US President Donald Trump has vowed to restore "peace" along the Russia=Ukraine border, the White House announced.

Trump had a "very good call" with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko on Saturday addressing "a variety of topics, including Ukraine's long-running conflict with Russia", the White House said in a statement.

"We will work with Ukraine, Russia, and all other parties involved to help them restore peace along the border," Trump said.

The White House also noted that the two leaders discussed "the potential for a meeting in the near future", The Hill magazine reported.

The call came as the situation in eastern Ukraine worsened last week, after Ukrainian forces clashed with Russian-backed separatist groups.

Also on Saturday, Trump spoke with the Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni about strengthening bilateral relations between the two countries and has agreed to attend the G-7 summit in Italy in May, the White House said.

Trump reiterated his commitment to NATO to the Italian leader, with whom he is expected to meet at the summit, the statement added.</s>The end. Poroshenko is blowing up Donbass, appealing to NATOI, like many of my comrades believe that a horrible end is better than horror without an end. Recent events in Donbass show that the process has entered the final stage when decisions will soon be made.What is reassuring is that the armed forces of Novorossia are now allowed to respond to provocations, because until now it was very strict: they were practically banned from responding to attacks in order to avoid accusations that the Republics are provoking escalation. Because Ukrainian authorities distorted the situation. If there was a response, they said "We were shelled!" and so forth, involving the OSCE. But now the global landscape is changing, changing the methods. We can see this from reports of foreign media. The militia began to respond, and this response is very painful for the enemy.The Ukrainian side very clearly feels the line, after which the answer will not just be painful, but fatal. And I believe they don't want to cross this line. This is why they only resort to shelling, not a massive advance. Indeed there are many victims. Moreover, the common position of Donetsk, Lugansk and all of us - there is no joy in the high number of deaths. It is clear that the killed civilians and soldiers of NAF on our side are a tragedy, but losses on the other side don't bring joy to anyone either. We understand that responsibility for all rests on Poroshenko. And we understand that as soon as the political situation in the country will change, those guys who stand on the other side of the front line - 90% and maybe even more - will change their perspective. But if they are dead, it's irreversible... And that's what's tragic.I think the reason is as follows. For several years people died, and there was no end to this situation. And how should they present it on Russian TV? Russian people are dying and the Russian government does not take any serious action. So the subject of Donbass was pushed aside. But now everyone understands that in Ukraine, and in Russia, decision will be made. And soon enough. And the situation will evolve in a different direction. So Donbass is back in the media.Against this background, we see an extraordinary activity of Poroshenko. First Poroshenko announces a referendum on Ukraine's accession to NATO and says that if four years ago 16% of Ukrainians supported this move, now it is 54%. But the numbers of those wishing to join NATO in Ukraine are irrelevant (according to other sources they are quite different). What matters is that NATO itself is now categorically opposed to Ukraine joining the organization. Therefore, there is no point in holding the referendum. It's just one of the ways of Poroshenko to remind about himself.Imagine this situation. He was a minion of Western European and American leaders, politicians. He was showered with attention, the money sent to Ukraine, the aid. Suddenly and rapidly, literally in a month the situation has changed and no one wants to see him or talk to him. It took him much effort to meet with Merkel, and the results of the meeting were such that he had to urgently save his reputation. Blaming Donbass escalation, especially in Avdeevka, his hasty departure from Berlin actually saved a failed visit. Poroshenko clings to every opportunity to get back on the global political agenda. He will fail, but he will still try. I think it's more of a psychological denial to come to terms with the role, with the situation in which he finds himself. His situation is about the same as Hitler, six months before the end of the war. Only then the war lasted longer, and now the time is compressed and everything happens quite quickly. He is trying to build some kind of relationships, to negotiate with one, the other, to find his place, to stay alive. And the most important thing for him is to save his money. He is approaching the point when it would be impossible.It is worth noting today's statement by the permanent representative of Ukraine to the United Nations Volodymyr Yelchenko that the American authorities promised him not to recognize Crimea as part of the Russian Federation.It's hard to imagine what needs to happen in order for the global elite to recognize Crimea's accession to Russia. Another thing is that this issue can be pushed into a far corner and removed from the agenda. Even sanctions could be lifted, but recognition of Crimea is a long and laborious process. It is not about USA, or Europe, but Russia. If Russia becomes as strong as was the Soviet Union, then it doesn't matter if it is recognized or not recognized by the United States and Europe. By the way, we should remember that the three Baltic republics were not recognized by the West as part of the USSR for half a century, but, nevertheless, this has not prevented them from remaining part of the country. And there are many such examples.Nobody expected any developments from Minsk. Yes, there are no changes - and it is expected. Obviously, all the developments are taking place elsewhere. I have already said that the ideal scenario is a situation when Ukraine's problem will be resolved outside of the borders of Ukraine. Not through armed confrontation when one Russian is fighting with another Russian who is convinced he is not Russian - but in some other place. And these processes are underway.What are we seeing? Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump had a talk. The conversation lasted forty minutes. Taking into account the time for translators, it lasted twenty to thirty minutes. What say the leaders on such occasions? Look at Trump's impressive entourage. The Western media highlighted that, when Trump talked with Merkel, he had a different smaller set of advisers. When leaders talk longer than ten minutes, it is significant. They discuss issues on the agenda, reason if there is a desire to solve them, and in a few words describe how they see the solution to these issues. If there are no contradictions, they appoint those responsible for each issue. Next to Donald Trump were the people who were immediately told: you are going to deal with this issue, you get Syria, you - Ukraine, you - another issue. Further those responsible must communicate with each other and develop the concept for the personal meeting of the leaders. And plans developed by Trump's and Putin's team will be implemented.The representatives of the Republican party visited Ukraine before, but not the wing which will today address Ukrainian issues. We remember McCain's visit, a meeting with Tymoshenko. Now it is the turn of Trump's representatives to solve the issues. In my opinion, there is a working script, by which Ukraine will be dealt with. In principle, the leaders agreed that cooperation between Russia and USA will be focus on solving the problem of terrorism. In Syria it is ISIS, in Ukraine, terrorists in fact are at the head of the state. And these terrorists staged a civil war, staged a genocide of their own population. And this issue must be addressed.It is obvious that with this composition of the Verkhovna Rada it is impossible to resolve political issues, which are recorded in the Minsk agreements. The deputies simply will not vote. In Ukraine, the "war party" is very strong. The "war party" is led by Yatsenyuk, Parubiy and Turchinov.Poroshenko had the opportunity to remove Avakov after the events in Knyazhich. Did not go through, although thought about it long and hard. As you remember Avakov was in hiding for a week, held unofficial talks, and yet he remained in place. And today, Turchinov and Avakov actually organized the blockade of Donbass, to avoid an open confrontation with Poroshenko. The contradictions came to the brink, and Poroshenko understands that the global situation is now changing and he needs to be replaced. He cannot be replaced, because in this case he must purge the "war party", which will fracture the coalition. If the coalition dissipates - the parliament understands that it must be re-elected. And most likely impeach Poroshenko.Yulia Tymoshenko tried to pull it off: using the son of UPA commander Yuri Shukhevych she wanted to question the Minsk agreement and declare impeachment of the president. Failed. But in today's Ukraine it is not necessary to follow the full impeachment procedure. It is enough to vote for impeachment and say, Yes, we impeached him. It is enough to declare it, and then just throw Poroshenko out of the administration of the president and call new elections.There is a possibility that Yatsenyuk will be put in charge of National Bank. Many banks, including systemic "Privat", are bankrupt, there are many debts, and the head of National Bank is in charge of significant financial resources. All of these debts are sold at a lower price. There is a flow of black money. In charge of this flow is Poroshenko. Yatsenyuk offered himself for head of National Bank and guaranteed that the deputies of "Popular Front" will remain loyal to Poroshenko, or will remain in the coalition.But Poroshenko has not yet made a decision. Why? Because about 50% of the deputies of the "Popular Front" side with Avakov, 7-8% - Pashinsky. And there are risks even if Yatsenyuk gets National Bank, the coalition will still fall apart. Therefore Poroshenko has a difficult choice, but he hopes to find the way out. He hopes to survive as a political figure and offer something to Trump, if Trump will hold. Because I must say that Soros is not missing a bit. US protests are funded by Soros and Soros (cannot accuse him of being stupid), apparently believes he has a chance against Trump. And now all Poroshenko's statements, all the shelling of Donetsk is very nicely playing into the hands of team Democrats - Clinton, Obama, Soros... As he further pushes himself into a corner.</s>The new U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, has expressed "strong condemnation of Russia's actions" in eastern Ukraine and warned that Ukraine-related sanctions against Russia will not be lifted until Crimea is returned to Kyiv."Crimea is a part of Ukraine. Our Crimea-related sanctions will remain in place until Russia returns control of the peninsula to Ukraine," she said on February 2 in her first public remarks before the Security Council since being sworn into office."Eastern Ukraine, of course, is not the only part of the country suffering because of Russia's aggressive actions. The United States continues to condemn and call for an immediate end to the Russian occupation of Crimea," Haley said.The new American envoy said it was "unfortunate" that she had to condemn Russia in her first appearance before the council."We do want to better our relations with Russia," she said, but "the dire situation in eastern Ukraine is one that demands clear and strong condemnation of Russian actions."Vitaly Churkin, echoing comments by Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier in the day, told the UN council late on February 2 that Kyiv needs money which it "can swindle out of the European Union, certain European countries, and from the United States and from international financial institutions by pretending to be the victims of aggression.""The essence of those events is quite clear: Kiev is trying to use the armed clashes that it provoked as a pretext for a complete rejection of the February 12, 2015, Minsk agreements, sealed by the UN Security Council resolution 2202," Churkin said in Russian, TASS reports.He called for a cease-fire and return to implementation of the Minsk peace agreement.The diplomat went on to list public remarks made by the Ukrainian officials over recent days which clearly proved that it was indeed Kiev that has escalated the situation there. He also cited OSCE reports and surveillance data which places the blame squarely on the Ukrainian government and not the rebel forces."Any serious intensification of hostilities in Donbass miraculously coincides with foreign visits of the Ukrainian leadership. Apparently, this is how Kiev expects to keep the crisis that it had provoked on the international agenda," Churkin said."And, of course, the Ukrainian leadership needs money today, that can easily wheedle out of the European Union, some European nations, the United States and international financial institutions when they pretend to be a victim of 'aggression'," the diplomat added.Churkin called for an immediate ceasefire and swift de-escalation of the situation "to prevent disaster and to return the situation to the political track.""We trust that those with common sense within Ukraine itself and also all those keen to settle issues of this kind through political means will not allow the situation in southeastern Ukraine to develop along the worse-case scenario," Churkin said, instead advising Kiev to focus their efforts on immediately implementing the Minsk peace agreements.But Churkin's speech did not impress the British Ambassador to the UN, Matthew Rycroft, who accused the Russian side of misinforming the council."We frequently hear from the Russian government, as we did today, that all the problems in eastern Ukraine are the consequence of actions by the Ukrainian government. This is simply not the case. It is an inversion of reality."He later tweeted, "Great #UNSC debut speech by @NikkiHaley today. Fully agree that sanctions must remain until #Russia returns control of #Crimea to #Ukraine."But U.S. Senator John McCain said Russia is testing President Donald Trump by escalating the violence in Ukraine. He dismissed Putin's accusations that Kyiv is fomenting the latest fighting in an effort to gain support from the new U.S. administration.McCain, a senior Republican senator from Arizona and a regular critic of Trump as well as Russia, sent a letter to the president in which he urged him to provide lethal aid to Kyiv."That this surge of attacks began the day after [Putin] talked with you by phone is a clear indication that Vladimir Putin is moving quickly to test you as commander in chief. America's response will have lasting consequences," McCain said in the letter released by his office.Putin, speaking in Budapest after a meeting with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, claimed "the Ukrainian leadership needs money, and the best way to get the EU, the U.S., and international organizations to pay is by posing as a victim of aggression."Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko issued a statement urging the international community to "more actively put pressure on Russia in order to end the shelling."Ukraine has expressed concerns that Trump could roll back some sanctions imposed on Russia after its 2014 annexation of Ukraine's Crimea region and in retaliation for Moscow's military, economic, and political support for separatist militants in eastern Ukraine.Trump has repeatedly expressed hope for improved relations with Moscow.In Brussels, EU President Donald Tusk urged Russia to use its influence to "disengage the Russia-backed separatists" and to restore a cease-fire.The Ukrainian military reported two soldiers killed overnight on February 2 and 10 wounded in shelling in the government-held town of Avdiyivka, just north of the separatist stronghold of Donetsk. The separatists said one of their fighters was killed."Moscow was putting Avdiyivka on the brink of a humanitarian catastrophe," Poroshenko's statement said.
U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, in a telephone call, discuss strengthening the two countries' strategic partnership with particular attention to the conflict in the Donbass, a Ukrainian region that borders Russia.