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MOSCOW The United States embassy in Kiev voiced concern on Sunday over Russia's decision to recognize civil registration documents issued in separatist-held areas of eastern Ukraine, saying that it threatens the Minsk peace process.

The order by Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday will enable people from the conflict-hit region to travel, work or study in Russia and drew strong criticism from Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko.

The move is "alarming and contradicts the agreed goals of the Minsk agreements", the U.S. embassy in Ukraine said on Sunday via its official twitter account.

Since the February 2015 Minsk peace agreement Ukraine and Russia have been locked in a stalemate periodically broken by fighting that each side has accused the other of instigating.

(Reporting by Andrey Ostroukh; Editing by David Goodman)

BAGHDAD The U.S. military is not in Iraq "to seize anybody's oil", Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said, distancing himself from remarks by President Donald Trump before arriving on an unannounced visit to Baghdad on Monday.

QUITO Leftist government candidate Lenin Moreno was within striking distance of winning the first round of Ecuador's presidential election on Monday, as the Andean country's electoral body counted ballots late into the night.

MADRID More than 300 African migrants jumped the border fence between Morocco and the Spanish enclave of Ceuta on Monday morning, the second mass push since Friday, the emergency services said.

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US embassy in Kiev critical of Moscow order on Ukrainian documentation - Reuters

Pence Looks to Reassure Ukraine, Baltics of US Support Wall Street Journal (subscription) Vice President Mike Pence met this weekend with the leaders of Ukraine and its Baltic neighbors, offering reassurances of U.S. commitment to European security amid questions about the Trump administration's Russia policy. Ukraine has seen an escalation ... and more »

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Pence Looks to Reassure Ukraine, Baltics of US Support - Wall Street Journal (subscription)

ABU DHABI, United Arab EmiratesUkraine's SpetsTechnoExport is trying its hand at arming an unmanned ground vehicle, debuting its Fantom vehicle with an anti-tank missile system called Barrier.

The nearly invisible vehicle with Barrier and a 12.7 mm caliber machine gun is designed to go up against heavy and light armored targets from a distance of 100 to 5,000 meters, according to a company statement. SpetsTechnoExport is part of Ukraines defense company Ukroboronprom.

In addition to Barrier, Fantom is designed to accommodate a variety of different armaments on a stabilized rotating platform, the company added.

The vehicle can even maneuver on sand due to its hybrid all-wheel drive engine, independent suspension and hydraulic brake system. The UGV is also equipped with a secure radio channel.

"The purpose of this project is development of equipment that can effectively perform different combat missions while minimizing risks to the military personnel's lives, Pavlo Barbul, SpetsTechnoExports director, said.

The first Fantom was showcased at an arms exhibition in 2016 in Kyiv.

While unmanned ground vehicles come with a host of mobility and autonomy challenges, arming an unmanned vehicle has always carried an additional level of concern when it comes to operational safety.

But Ukraine, which has continued to fight back Russian incursions for the past several years, has to move quickly to develop capability that can fight effectively against the Russian tank and armored vehicle threats along its border.

Fantom can perform fire support of ground units, conduct reconnaissance and hold surveillance at block posts or border, deliver equipment and ammunition, evacuate the wounded, as well as be the source of power, and participate in de-mining operations, the company said.

And Fantom can be teamed with other unmanned aerial systems, likely another answer to counter Russias hybrid warfare tactics using drones observed on the frontlines in Ukraine.

Link:
Ukraine company debuts tank-busting unmanned ground vehicle - DefenseNews.com

Foreign Ministers of Ukraine Pavlo Klimkin, France Jean-Marc Ayrault, Russia Sergey Lavrov and Germany Sigmar Gabriel pose for a photograph during the 53rd Munich Security Conference in Munich, Germany on Feb. 18, 2017. Sven Hopp / Reuters

The agreement aimed to end fighting in the disputed area of Ukraine.

"The Minsk agreement is the only channel we have to bring a solution to this conflict," Merkel said. "The Minsk agreement started on the assumption that there was a road map, but when it was enacted there was no continuous ceasefire."

NATO allies laid the consequences of the conflicts at the feet of Russia, which has claimed no responsibility for the separatist activities, although it annexed Crimea from Ukraine in March 2014. Most nations, including European Union members and the United States, do not recognize Crimea as a part of the Russian state.

A Ukrainian hacker group named Cyber Hunta also

Since then, European nations have grown increasingly alarmed by Russia's use of force along its western border.

"We have seen a more assertive Russia," NATO Secretary General Jens Soltenberg told CNBC at the Munich Security Conference. "We have seen a Russia that has invested heavily in new military capabilities, which has tripled spending on defense over the last years, and most importantly which has been willing to use military force against neighbors in Georgia and Ukraine. And that's exactly why NATO is responding in a measured defensive way."

Stoltenberg said NATO will invest in defense upgrades for any new conflicts, whether that's on the ground or in cyberspace.

"We have to be agile. We have to be prepared for the unforeseen," he added. "And that's exactly what we are doing when we are increasing the readiness of our forces, when we are increasing the presence of our forces in the eastern part of the alliance and we are."

President Donald Trump has flip-flopped on his support for NATO. After the November election, he told the Times of London that the 28-state alliance is obsolete, but then earlier this month said "we strongly support NATO." Meanwhile, he has refused to criticize Russia, recently stating that the United States is

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Russia Announces Another Ceasefire Deal With Ukraine Amid Tensions With West - NBCNews.com

Ukrainians are holding several days of events to mark the third anniversary of the end of what they call the Revolution of Dignity.

A hundred people, now known as the Heavenly Hundred, were shot dead by riot police in February 2014 during protests on Independence Square locally known as the Maidan in central Kyiv.

Local resident Daryna Kulchytska was among those gathered in Independence Square on Saturday (February 18, 2017).

I dont want people to forget what it was like, how people stood up and wanted to change something, how people were ready to give everything, even their lives, for the sake of our future, she told reporters.

The square in the capital has become symbolic of a shift that turned Ukraine away from Russia and towards Europe.

Serviceman Yuriy Myhalevych reflected on the events of 2014.

People became different, compared to how they used to be. People felt that they could change something in this country. But unfortunately, there have not been enough changes over the past three years.

The Maidan movement began as an outcry against the-then President Viktor Yanukovychs rejection of a trade deal with the European Union.

Following the deadly events in Kyiv, the Kremlin-backed leader and his inner circle fled to Russia.

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Ukraine reflects on deadly 'Revolution of Dignity' - euronews