That concludes our live-blogging of the Ukraine crisis for Thursday, June 4, 2015. Check back here tomorrow morning for more of our continuing coverage.
Obama To Press EU On Russia Sanctions, Meet Abadi At G7
U.S. President Barack Obama will urge EU leaders at the upcoming Group of Seven (G7) summit to maintain economic sanctions against Russia over its involvement in eastern Ukraine.
The White House said Obama -- who will arrive in southern Germany for the two-day summit on June 7 -- will also hold talks with Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi during the meetings with leaders from the world's top industrial countries.
U.S. officials said Obama and Abadi will discuss the "situation on the ground [in Iraq]" and the U.S. effort "to support Iraqi forces."
The United States leads a coalition of countries conducting air strikes against Islamic State (IS) targets in Iraq and Syria and is also helping to train Iraqi forces.
Obama will also hold bilateral meetings with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and British Prime Minister David Cameron at the summit, which will be held at a chateau south of Munich.
Based on reporting by Reuters and AFP
Video: Amid Food Sanctions, Russia Promotes Home-Grown Potatoes (RFE/RL)
In the Russian district of Beryozovsky, officials have given residents free access to farmland to help them weather the effects of sanctions on Western food imports. Part-time farmers and the district mayor celebrated the new initiative with a day of singing, socializing, and planting potatoes, all in the name of Russian self-sufficiency. (RFE/RL's Current Time TV)
Statement by the EU Spokesperson on the fighting around Mariyinka in Eastern Ukraine
The heavy fighting around Mariyinka, near Donetsk, yesterday in Eastern Ukraine constitutes the most serious violation of the ceasefire under the Minsk agreements since February. This escalation followed the movement of a large amount of heavy weapons towards the contact line by the Russia-backed separatists, as reported by the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission. Renewed intense fighting risks unleashing a new spiral of violence and human suffering.
The ceasefire must be fully respected and all heavy weapons withdrawn and kept in storage sites open to regular verification by OSCE monitors. The implementation of the Minsk agreements, to which all sides have declared their commitment, can only succeed on the basis of such a ceasefire, permanent withdrawal of heavy weapons and regular monitoring and verification.