Republicans in Congress have pledged to work with President Obama to approve a $1bn loan to Ukraaine, ahead of the country's prime minster's warning that the Russian presence in Ukraine is having detrimental consequences on Ukraine's economy. The European Union is offering Ukraine $15 billion in aid to improve the country's financial position.

U.S. secretary of state John Kerry and Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov held a brief meeting in Paris Wednesday morning the Ukraine crisis. The Secretary urged direct talks between Russian and Ukraine, according to a senior State Department official.

Lavrov and Kerry were scheduled to meet again Wednesday afternoon.

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Read more at Reuters.

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