Italy on Friday said it will back new targeted sanctions against Russia. "Always while remaining within the ambit of the so-called phase two, that is targeted sanctions," said Foreign Minister Federica Mogherini after speaking with US Secretary of State John Kerry, citing the "worsening situation" in the crisis in Ukraine.
US President Barack Obama on Friday said "The United States is ready to impose" further sanctions "aimed at responding to Russia's latest actions" in the crisis in Ukraine. Obama was speaking in a video conference with British Prime Minister David Cameron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Francois Hollande and Italian Premier Matteo Renzi.
Tension is high amid reports Friday that fighting has broken out in the Eastern Ukraine city of Kramatorsk. A Ukrainian Mi-8 helicopter was reportedly shot down in the city, although the pilot managed to eject before the aircraft exploded, the Unian agency said. Russia's Ria Novosti said gunfire could be heard in the city and a tank was on fire. Kiev has launched raids against pro-Russian separatists who are occupying key buildings in many eastern Ukrainian towns. Moscow, which last month annexed Ukraine's Crimea peninsula after a similar uprising by pro-Russian locals and has thousands of troops on its side of the border, has called on the US to make Kiev stop raids.
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