Minister for European Affairs Paschal Donohue said on RTE News recently regarding the Ukraine that "mechanisms must be developed to lead to a de-escalation of the tension". Sadly the actions of EU foreign ministers are only fuelling the crisis.

Authorities in Ukraine say government forces have reclaimed a television tower during a security operation to quell pro-Russian rebel activity in the eastern town of Kramatorsk.

Ukraine’s government says it is drawing up plans to withdraw its troops from Crimea, where Russia is steadily taking formal control as its armed forces seize military installations across the peninsula.

Ukraine mobilised for war yesterday after Russian president Vladimir Putin declared he had the right to invade, creating the biggest confrontation between Moscow and the West since the Cold War.

Protesters in the Ukrainian capital claimed full control of the city today following the signing of a Western-brokered peace deal aimed at ending the nation’s three-month political crisis.