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Dave Connell: All we have to do is try and win the two games. Well pick the heads up and try get back into the reckoning as quickly as we can. Photograph: James Crombie/Inpho

The Republic of Ireland Womens Under-19 will be looking to bounce back from Tuesdays Elite Round defeat to Scotland when they face Ukraine in Limerick on Thursday evening.

Dave Connells side were defeated by a 95th minute penalty in their opening group game against Scotland, with the Ireland head coach lamenting the performance of his side.

I thought we were pretty poor in the first half not up to our usual standards. We were a bit better in the second half, but overall, I thought we were second best. Id have been happy with a point but unfortunately its a bitter pill to take in the end. We can play a lot better than that.

Ireland know a win is required against Ukraine to keep their qualification hopes alive, with suspension and injuries a concern for Connell in the build up to the tie.

Leanne [Kiernan] picked up a yellow so that puts her out of the game now. We took a chance bringing her on she hasnt been training.

Jess [Nolan] took a knock, Saoirse [Noonan] took a knock weve a few casualties and well have to review that, he said.

Another bumper crowd is expected in Markets Field, with Connell adding that three points is the aim for the home side.

All we have to do is try and win the two games. Well pick the heads up and try get back into the reckoning as quickly as we can.

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Ireland U-19 women's side face must-win tie against Ukraine - Irish Times

Stars and Stripes

US soldiers, Ukrainian forces train to hold ground - News - Stripes Stars and Stripes U.S. soldiers recently guided a battalion of Ukrainian infantrymen through a 55-day training rotation that culminated in live-fire defensive maneuvers designed to ... Modern-Day Trench Warfare Continues in UkraineDaily Signal TASS: World - Radicals threaten to terminate operation of Russian ...TASS Eurovision 'could be hit by withdrawals' over Ukraine-Russia rowIrish Times JURIST -Ledbury Reporter -Pravda all 30 news articles »

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US soldiers, Ukrainian forces train to hold ground - News - Stripes - Stars and Stripes

The Trump administration is giving serious thought to providing Ukraine with lethal defensive aid, Arizona senator John McCain told THE WEEKLY STANDARD, a move that is likely to rile the Kremlin if realized.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who is slated to meet with Russian president Vladimir Putin next week, expressed support for such aid during his January confirmation hearing. McCain said that Tillerson signaled the potential for providing lethal defensive aid to Ukraine in a meeting Tuesday.

"He certainly said that we need to provide more assistance tothey're seriously considering more assistance to the Ukrainians," McCain, chairman of the Armed Services Committee, told TWS. "I reminded him that it was in the defense authorization bill, he said, 'yes, we are considering that option."

Other members of Trump's team have reportedly been less supportive of Ukraine and made moves to tone down language in the GOP platform on providing weaponry last summer. (That account has been disputed.) Republican lawmakers have said they were unsure where Trump would land on lethal defensive aid.

The president has pledged to improve relations with the Kremlinand the Ukrainians have for years been fighting Russian-backed separatists on the country's eastern border. The 2017 defense policy bill authorizes Trump to provide security assistance to Ukraine.

McCain has both discouraged the president from attempting a "reset" with Putin and pushed for the administration to supply Ukraine with lethal defensive aid. He also called for the provision of such aid under President Obama, whose administration preferred nonlethal assistance.

"Each of our last three presidents has had great expectations of building a partnership with the Russian government. Each attempt has failed," he said in January.

Tillerson said in March that sanctions against Russia related to its destabilizing actions in Ukraine will remain as long as those activities continue. Other members of the Trump administration, most prominently U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley, have also been talking tough on Russia.

"I don't think that we can trust [Russia]," Haley said during her confirmation hearing in January. "I certainly think [sanctions] should be preserved, and I don't think they should be lifted unless we have seen as a strong change from the Russian government."

The FBI has been investigating potential coordination between the Trump campaign and Russia since July.

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McCain: Trump Administration 'Seriously Considering' Lethal Defensive Aid to Ukraine - The Weekly Standard

Montreal Gazette

National Ballet of Ukraine returns with frothy Marriage of Figaro Montreal Gazette Two months after Perm Ballet strutted out its tutus and tights in sensational performances of Swan Lake, the equally accomplished forces of the National Ballet of Ukraine are coming back to Place des Arts with The Marriage of Figaro, a classical-ballet ...

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National Ballet of Ukraine returns with frothy Marriage of Figaro - Montreal Gazette

2017-04-06T15:28+02:00 15:28 06.04.2017

U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch has said that if Ukraine refuses the Minsk accords and withdraws from the negotiation process, it may lose the support of Western partners.

"If we deviate from 'Minsk', when I say "we", I think, it is important that the international community has united around Ukraine [...] there are very good partners in this negotiation process. I think that Ukraine will remain without the support of Western partners if it withdraws from this negotiation process," Yovanovitch said on Thursday during her speech in the framework of the panel discussion "US Foreign Policy: What role will Ukraine play?" at the Kyiv Security Forum on Thursday.

She also noted that the Minsk agreements are very unpopular in Ukraine, however, they contain all the necessary aspects of the conflict settlement, both the political part and the part that concerns security. And if an agreement is abandoned, it will be necessary to look for an alternative process.

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Ukraine may lose support of Western partners if it withdraws from negotiation process in Minsk US . ambassador - Interfax