Ukrainian president’s call comes after Putin launched bizarre rant against West amid ongoing US-brokered peace talks

MOSCOW, Dec 15 (Reuters) - The founder of Russia's opposition Yabloko party, ‌which ​wants a ceasefire in Ukraine, has said ‌his party will keep campaigning despite the arrest of two senior figures, a move he said ​was meant to derail it before next year's parliamentary election.

Ukraine and its European allies may be enthusiastic about the Trump administration’s shift in their direction, but when America shores up its gap with Europe, it widens its gap with Russia. And it is,

The United States just wrapped up two days of talks with Ukrainian and European negotiators in Berlin, followed by more discussions among leaders in Europe – all of which ended with positive signals about a future peace agreement.

The United States, Ukraine and major European countries have reached consensus on 90 percent of terms for a deal to end Ukraine’s war with Russia, two senior U.S. officials said Monday, but

MOSCOW, Dec ‌16 (Reuters) - ​The Kremlin ‌said on Tuesday ​that a Christmas ‍truce that Ukraine ​has ​proposed ⁠would depend on whether a peace deal is reached or not. Russia ‌does not want a ​ceasefire that ‌would ‍allow Kyiv ⁠to prepare for further fighting, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

The latest proposal is designed to deter future Russian aggression. But Russia is not part of the talks and has shown little willingness to negotiate.

Ukraine’s domestic security service, the SBU, said Monday that it struck a Russian submarine in the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk, causing critical damage to the vessel and effectively disabling it.

The oil market has come under further pressure with Russia-Ukraine ceasefire talks progressing Renewed optimism over a Russia-Ukraine ceasefire weighed on the oil market yesterday. ICE Brent settled a little more than 0.