One of Ukraine's biggest TV networks faced the threat of being taken off air for filling its highly-rated New Year's Eve show with Russian pop songs beamed live from Moscow.
Ukraine's Western-backed leader Petro Poroshenko promised to meet Russia's Vladimir Putin and involve US President Barack Obama in his stalled push for peace.
For us, Kazakhstanis, what has happened in Ukraine is a great lesson: it is accord and stability that have enabled us to achieve what we have now, he said.
Ukraine took a historic step toward NATO in a parliamentary vote that stoked Russia's anger ahead of talks on ending the ex-Soviet state's separatist war.
The authoritarian leader of Belarus flew into Kiev hoping to revive stalled Ukrainian peace talks he has been hosting to calm Europe's volatile eastern edge.
US President Barack Obama imposed sweeping sanctions on Russia-annexed Crimea with an executive order prohibiting American exports of goods to the contested peninsula.
US President said he was not about to impose new sanctions on Russia over the Ukraine crisis, but nevertheless signed a law giving him the authority to do so.
Ukraine's president openly challenged the Kremlin by submitting a bill allowing the former Soviet republic to join NATO and make the Western alliance its defender.
The European Union's foreign policy chief said the 28-nation bloc would stay united on Ukraine despite pressure from some members to drop or ease its sanctions on Russia.