Kiev

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday expressed "deep concern" over the growing number of civilian casualties and refugees in eastern Ukraine.
      

The Foreign Ministers of four countries have agreed on measures which could lead to a bilateral ceasefire in the east and south of Ukraine.

Their meeting came after a ten-day truce ended late on Monday, with both Ukrainian authorities and pro-Russian rebels in Donetsk and Luhansk claiming the other side had violated it many times.

Russia expressed "regret" on Tuesday over Ukraine's decision to restart a military operation against separatists and urged its foreign partners to stop using the ex-Soviet country as a pawn in geopolitical games.
      
Moscow also stressed that peace talks should start as soon as possible, pledging to "fully facilitate" the process.
      

Kazakhstan and Belarus have rejected Russia's proposal that the the three countries jointly adopt a special system to receive Ukrainian goods.

Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko has extended the ceasefire in east Ukraine by nearly a day, or until Monday evening, following a video conference with three foreign leaders.

A Russian journalist has died in Ukraine’s Donetsk Region after being fatally wounded while on assignment.

Russia's Channel One has confirmed the death of its cameraman Anatoly Klyan in a statement published on its website.

A Russian television cameraman was killed overnight in shooting in east Ukraine which Moscow said undermined faith in Kiev's desire to resolve weeks of conflict peacefully.
   
Anatoly Klyan, 68, worked for state-owned Channel One and was the third Russian journalist killed since pro-Russian separatists began an uprising against central rule in April.
   

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 leaders gave Russia until Monday to change policy on Ukraine or face the prospect of tougher sanctions.
      
In a statement Friday, the 28 European Union leaders said Moscow had to take four steps, among them clear backing for the Ukraine government's peace plan, by Monday June 30.