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But Russian President Vladimir Putin effectively withdrew from the Minsk agreement last week by signing an executive order recognizing travel documents issued by separatist authorities in the region.

Critics fear that recognizing the pro-Russian governments in eastern Ukraine is a step toward Putin's government declaring the disputed regions to be independent states.

But Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Russia is recognizing the travel documents "for humanitarian reasons."

"This law does not violate international law in any way," Peskov said. "For humanitarian reasons, it was necessary to do it and recognize these documents. Imagine, the situation only happened because of the official blockade of Kiev, hundreds of thousands (of people) do not have the opportunity to apply for passports, renew their passports, driving licenses, etc."

By "blockade," Peskov was referring to the claim that the Ukrainian capital was making life in the east difficult by not letting people apply for passports and pensions.

Ceasefire violations in eastern Ukraine have been significantly reduced since the new truce took effect at 12 a.m. local time Monday, but "ingredients" for a "further flare-up" remain, said Alexander Hug, chief monitor of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine.

"Since midnight, we have seen them significantly reduced, and we have only seen up until now small arms fire in the Donetsk region, that is promising," Hug said by phone from Kiev.

"However, heavy weapons remain on both sides of the contact area where they shouldn't be, and positions of the Ukrainian armed forces and the formations on the other side are far too close to one another -- ingredients of further flare-up."

Ukrainian military spokesman Col. Oleksandr Motuzyanyk said, "The intensity of fire was 10 times less, but there were no calm places at the front line."

On Monday afternoon, he said there had been 24 ceasefire violations in the Donetsk region, including 12 with heavy weapons.

Ukrainian Secretary of National Security and Defense Oleksandr Turchynov said Putin's order was the death knell for the Minsk agreement, the framework for peace in the region since pro-Russian militants occupied areas of eastern Ukraine in 2014.

"By signing this decree, Putin legally recognized quasi-terrorist groups that have this as a fig leaf covering the Russian occupation of Donbass," he said.

The German government slammed Putin's move.

"Recognition of identity documents from separatist-held areas by #Russia is (a) clear violation of spirit and objective of #Minsk," the German Foreign Ministry tweeted.

Eastern Ukraine has seen a spike in violence in recent months between Russian-backed separatists and Ukrainian armed forces.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said it was a positive move that the foreign ministers "agreed once again for the state of a ceasefire on February 20." He said the deal also includes the start of the withdrawal of heavy arms in eastern Ukraine.

OSCE Secretary-General Lamberto Zannier said that Putin's executive order would hurt the chances of the ceasefire to take hold.

It called for the "bilateral cessation of the use of all weapons," and the decentralization of power in the region "with respect to the temporary status of local self-government in certain areas of the Donetsk and the Lugansk regions."

At the time, Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk spoke with guarded optimism.

"We had just two options: bad, and worse," he said. "So we decided at this particular period of time to get the bad option. Probably this option will save the lives of Ukrainian soldiers, and I hope this option will save lives of Ukrainian civilians, of innocent people, who are under a constant shelling of Russian-led terrorists."

"It's better to have this new deal rather than not to have (it)," he said. "But we do not trust any words or any papers. We are to trust only actions and deeds."

Speaking at the Munich Security Conference in Germany on Saturday, Vice President Mike Pence told world leaders that the United States will stand firm against Moscow -- while also seeking avenues for cooperation.

"Know this -- the United States will continue to hold Russia accountable, even as we search for new common ground, which as you know, President Trump believes can be found," Pence said.

Outspoken Russian lawmaker Alexey Pushkov interpreted Putin's executive order as a response to the tough words that Pence and US Defense Secretary James Mattis have had for Russia in recent days.

"With the recognition of passports to Donetsk and Luhansk Peoples Republics, Moscow lets everybody know that pressure on the Ukrainian question won't give any results," Pushkov tweeted.

Euan McKirdy wrote from Hong Kong, and Emma Burrows reported from Moscow. CNN's Holly Yan, Radina Gigova, Victoria Butenko, Sebastian Shukla, Nick Paton Walsh and Kevin Liptak contributed to this report.

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Eastern Ukraine ceasefire begins -- but will it hold? - CNN.com

New York Times

Ukraine Lawmaker Who Worked With Trump Associates Faces Treason Inquiry New York Times Prosecutors in Ukraine are investigating whether a member of Parliament committed treason by working with two associates of President Trump's to promote a plan for settling Ukraine's conflicts with Russia. In a court filing on Tuesday, prosecutors ... Ukraine backs more sanctions against Russia in passport spatWashington Post Ukrainian MP Plans to Travel to Washington to Push Peace PlanU.S. News & World Report As casualties mount in eastern Ukraine, some wonder whether Putin is testing TrumpFox News NBCNews.com -Business Insider -CNN -Washington Post all 398 news articles »

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Ukraine Lawmaker Who Worked With Trump Associates Faces Treason Inquiry - New York Times

An Austrian appeals court on Tuesday approved the extradition to the United States of a Ukrainian oligarch withties to a former senior Trump adviser on corruptioncharges.

Dmytro Firtash, a billionairewho made a fortune as a middleman in Ukraines rough-and-tumblegas industry, has been indicted by U.S. prosecutors for allegedly bribing Indian officials to secure a titanium deal. An extradition request in 2015 had been denied by a Viennese court, which called the U.S. allegationspolitically motivated. A final decision on whether to hand over Firtash to the United States will be made by Austrias justice minister.

Firtash wielded significant political power in Ukraine under former president Viktor Yanukovych, who was overthrown amid street protests in 2014. Firtash was arrested in Vienna on an FBI warrant just weeks after Yanukovych fled to Russia and was succeeded by a vocally pro-Western government. Firtashs lawyers say that he is being targeted by the United States as part of a political inquisition against Yanukovychs former political allies.

It wasnt for us to judge whether Mr. Firtash was guilty, but only whether the extradition is allowed, Judge Leo Levnaic-Iwanski said in the ruling on the U.S. request Tuesday, Bloomberg News reported. This decision only means that another country will make a decision whether he is guilty.

Lawyers for Firtash had sought to paint the allegations against Firtash as a strategy to limit Russian influence in Ukraine.The criminal investigation was initiated duringthe Obama administration.

In a statement, Firtashs U.S. legal team said it wasdisappointed by the appeals court decision and said he was innocent.

If and when Mr. Firtash is required to come to the United States, the team will fight to obtain dismissal of this unjust case by the Department of Justice or, if necessary, in U.S. courts, to clear Mr. Firtash's name, the statement read.

Firtash had previously weighed teamingup with American investors and political strategist Paul Manafort, who for a time managed Donald Trumps presidential campaign, to buy high-end real estate in the United States, including the famous Drake Hotel in New York.

According to correspondence revealed in a 2011 lawsuit brought against Firtash by former Ukrainian prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko,Manafort met with Firtash in May, June and August of 2008 to seal the Manhattan real estate deal, according to a memo by Rick Gates, another Trump strategist. Firtash had agreed to put $112 million into buying the Drake Hotel, tearing it down and building a new luxury skyscraper, to be called the Bulgari Tower.

Tymoshenko claimed that Firtash was trying to invest ill-gotten proceeds from gas deals in Ukraine. The lawsuit was thrown out of a U.S. court for lack of evidence. No deals were completed, and Firtash has denied that he invested in the project.

Firtash owned half of a company that negotiated natural gas sales from Russia and Central Asian countries to Ukraine, a lucrative business that Reuters in 2014 reported made him billions of dollars.

In another twist, Firtash was detained shortly after Tuesdays decision by Austrian police serving a Spanish warrant separate from the extradition ruling. Spain in November sought Firtashs arrest for charges of money laundering and reported ties to organized crime. It was not immediately clear why the arrest came shortly after the extradition ruling or whether the Spanish extradition request would take precedence.

Read more:

Inside Trump adviser Manaforts world of politics and financial dealmaking

Trump campaign chief Paul Manafort named in Ukraine anti-corruption probe

Ukrainian oligarch with ties to Russias Gazprom arrested on FBI warrant

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Austrian court approves extradition of Ukrainian oligarch tied to Trump campaign adviser - Washington Post

On Tuesday, the head of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) said the ceasefire wasn't having the effect that his organization was hoping.

"It's not really quiet on the line of contact and that there are no signs of the withdrawal of the weapons," OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zannier said at the United Nations headquarters, where he had previously addressed the UN Security Council.

"The crisis in and around the Ukraine continues to be a major source of tension and instability in Europe," he said. Zannier had been invited by the Ukraine delegation of the security council to speak before the chamber.

He told the security council that the OSCE was "monitoring the ceasefire and are ready to observe the much-needed withdrawal of heavy weapons."

Zannier later told reporters at the United Nations that there continued to be a number of violations and that the impact on civilians in the disputed regions were becoming "increasingly significant."

"We will need to keep pushing and activate the international community also to put pressure on the sides to implement" steps to ensure the ceasefire holds.

His appearance at the UN came just before the organization's chief monitor told CNN that there were about 200 ceasefire violations overnight Tuesday local time. The number is added to hundreds more observed since the ceasefire nominally began Monday morning.

Alexander Hug, Principle Deputy Chief Monitor of the OSCE's Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine told CNN's Clare Sebastian that around 100 of those were explosions, indicating that heavy weaponry like tanks and mortars are still in place.

Unlike the last few weeks, where critical infrastructure was cut off, there is no immediate crisis as of now, but any of these explosions could knock out a power line and make things worse, Hug added.

Zannier said relations between the West and Russia remain "strongly adversarial" and that "in Europe we increasingly see the impact of an approach to the post-Cold war phase (of cooperation) with a Cold War mentality."

He said there was a "very real risk of escalation" in fighting in the region and that Russian President Vladimir Putin's executive order to recognize travel documents from the de facto, pro-Russian separatist authorities in disputed areas of eastern Ukraine "complicates the implementation of the Minsk agreement."

Putin effectively withdrew from the Minsk agreement last week by signing an executive order recognizing travel documents issued by separatist authorities in the region.

Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said that Russia is recognizing the travel documents "for humanitarian reasons."

The Minsk agreement, which was negotiated in 2014 but never fully implemented, calls for the "bilateral cessation of the use of all weapons," and the decentralization of power in the region "with respect to the temporary status of local self-government in certain areas of the Donetsk and the Lugansk regions."

At the time, Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk spoke with guarded optimism.

"We had just two options: bad, and worse," he said. "So we decided at this particular period of time to get the bad option. Probably this option will save the lives of Ukrainian soldiers, and I hope this option will save lives of Ukrainian civilians, of innocent people, who are under a constant shelling of Russian-led terrorists."

"It's better to have this new deal rather than not to have (it)," he said. "But we do not trust any words or any papers. We are to trust only actions and deeds."

Original post:
Ukraine ceasefire: No signs of weapons withdrawal, official says - CNN

Archbishop Bernardito Auza, Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the UN in New York, file photo - RV

(Vatican Radio) The Vatican on Tuesday said all necessary steps should be taken to enforce the ceasefire and to implement the measures agreed upon in Ukraine.

The Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations, Archbishop Bernardito Auza, was speaking at a meeting of the UN Security Council.

Concerning the conflict in Ukraine, which continues to cause grave concern since it began in 2014, the Holy See underscores once again that all necessary steps should be taken to enforce the ceasefire and to implement the measures agreed upon, Archbishop Auza said These efforts should be accompanied by the sincere commitment of all involved parties to respecting all fundamental human rights and restoring stability at the national and international levels, not least by respecting international legality with regard to Ukraines territory and borders

The Vatican diplomat added that by committing itself to offering direct humanitarian assistance to the population of the affected areas, the Holy See stresses the need to protect the civilians and the urgency of making every possible effort to avoid the continuation of this unresolved conflict and to find a political solution through dialogue and negotiation.

The full text of the statement is below

Intervention of H.E. Archbishop Bernardito Auza Apostolic Nuncio and Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations United Nations Security Council Open Debate on Maintenance of international peace and security: Conflicts in Europe New York, 21 February 2017

Mr. President,

With this intervention, the Holy See intends to reiterate its closeness to and solidarity with all peoples afflicted by conflicts and aggressions of any kind, including the so-called hybrid wars and frozen situations.

The Holy See holds that any initiative in maintaining international peace and security should necessarily be inspired and driven by humanitarian considerations, namely the preservation of human life, the assuring of adequate living conditions and the alleviation of suffering. At the same time, it is the obligation of States to refrain from actions that destabilize neighbouring countries and work together to create the necessary conditions for peace and reconciliation.

Concerning the conflict in Ukraine, which continues to cause grave concern since it began in 2014, the Holy See underscores once again that all necessary steps should be taken to enforce the ceasefire and to implement the measures agreed upon. These efforts should be accompanied by the sincere commitment of all involved parties to respecting all fundamental human rights and restoring stability at the national and international levels, not least by respecting international legality with regard to Ukraines territory and borders (cf. Statement of the Permanent Observer of the Holy See, Human Rights Council 28th Session, 26 March 2015).

By committing itself to offering direct humanitarian assistance to the population of the affected areas, the Holy See stresses the need to protect the civilians and the urgency of making every possible effort to avoid the continuation of this unresolved conflict and to find a political solution through dialogue and negotiation.

In this regard, the Holy See continues to welcome the efforts made by the UN, the OSCE and other relevant organizations to promote peace throughout Europe, including in Ukraine.

Thank you, Mr. President.

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Vatican to Security Council: enforce Ukraine ceasefire - Vatican Radio