Kiev

Ukraine: Fighting continues in Debaltsevo

The Ukrainian army has announced that during the night "not a single shot was fired" in the territory of the self-proclaimed People's Republic of Lugansk.

Neither Ukrainian government forces and pro-Russian rebels have started pulling arms out of the areas of conflict in Eastern Ukraine.

Kiev says the army would not pull back until the siege around Debaltseve ends, whereas the rebels insist the army should leave the beleaguered city which in their opinion is not part of the Minsk agreement.

NATO member Poland, bordering conflict-torn Ukraine, has earmarked a whopping EUR 33.6 B in spending to modernise its armed forces.

The plans will bring Poland in line with NATO's recommended defense spending target of 2% of gross domestic product, AFP said on Monday.

Russia will accept "any agreement" between warring sides

BELGRADE -- Konstantin Kosachev says Russia will accept any agreement between Kiev and the regions of Lugansk and Donetsk that would be in the interest of all sides.

Inflation in Ukraine is currently forecast at 26% for this year, according to the country's Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk.

His statement comes against the backdrop of Kiev's effort to avoid bankruptcy through international assistance and to keep its economy afloat as the latter is suffering from the conflict with Russia.

Only 20 out of 200 000 ethnic Bulgarians living in Ukraine have been called up as the partial mobilization is ongoing, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin has said.

A ceasefire beginning on Sunday is mostly being observed, media outlets report.

Though several incidents have been reported, pro-Russia rebels acting in the regions around Donetsk and Luhansk, eastern Ukraine, say they do not constitute a severe violation to the agreement.

The number of citizenship applications from ethnic Bulgarians living in Ukraine hasn't increased, Bulgaria's Vice President Margarita Popova said on Saturday.

Bulgaria's opposition Ataka party will propose to Parliament to recognize the results of Crimea's referendum to join Russia, RIA Novosti has reported.

The Russian news service quoted Ataka leader Volen Siderov as saying on Friday the party "recognizes the referendum and Crimea as a part of the Russian Federation."

"Deep distrust between West and Russia"

BELGRADE -- There is deep distrust between the West and Russia and it will not disappear quickly, a panel discussion in Belgrade has heard.