KIEV, Sept. 16 - A decision by rebels in eastern Ukraine to hold elections poses a "great danger" to the peace process, President Petro Poroshenko warned.

He also announced sanctions on over 400 people and 90 legal entities held responsible for Russia's annexation of Crimea and the conflict in the east.

KIEV, Sept. 15 - Ukraine is set to ratify a disputed EU agreement and offer limited self-rule to parts of the separatist east as it moves to turn the page on the bloodiest chapter of its post-Soviet history, AFP reported.

KIEV, Sept. 15 - US-led military exercises involving 15 countries were set to begin in Ukraine Monday, as fighting rumbles on in the restive east between government forces and pro-Russian rebels in violation of a ceasefire, AFP reported.

KIEV, Sept. 15 - Fighting broke out again in Ukraine's rebel-held city of Donetsk on Monday as President Petro Poroshenko prepared to unveil a risky plan to give the separatist east "special status."

MOSCOW, Sept. 15 - Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Angela Merkel discussed the importance of maintaining the ceasefire in Ukraine in a phone conversation on Monday, the Kremlin said in a statement, Reuters reported.

BERLIN, Sept. 15 - The German government has no knowledge of any country delivering weapons to the Ukraine government, Chancellor Angela Merkel's spokesman said on Monday when asked about the Ukrainian defense minister's remarks that some NATO countries were sending arms, Reuters reported.

WARSAW, Sept. 15 - Poland's economy minister said on Monday he did not expect significant disruptions in the country's gas system, blaming last week's problems with supplies from Russia's Gazprom on insufficient communication, Reuters reported.

KIEV, Sept. 15 - Ukraine, which expects a total $7.6 billion in IMF loans in 2014, plans to borrow an additional 200 million Canadian dollars ($180 million) later this year, the government said on Monday, Reuters reported.

KIEV, Sept. 16 - Trade wars between Ukraine and Russia are impossible, Ukraine Prime Minister Mykola Azarov said.

"Ukrainian-Russian trade wars are in principle impossible," the official said on the Shuster Live talk show on Friday.

KIEV, Sept. 16 – Concerns over the status of the 2014 budget draft rose Monday after Parliamentary Speaker Volodymyr Rybak returned the draft back to the government, citing the need to fix “many issues.”