Russia annuls sanction for use of force in Ukraine

On Russian President Vladimir Putin's demand, the upper house of Russian parliament on Wednesday canceled a resolution allowing the use of military in Ukraine, a move intended to show Moscow's eagerness to de-escalate tensions and avoid a new round of Western sanctions. Putin had said his request, made a day earlier, was intended to help support the peace process in Ukraine, which began Friday with a weeklong cease-fire. Putin needs to show his support for Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko's peace plan ahead of Friday's European Union summit to avoid further Western sanctions. The EU has warned it could introduce new sanctions that would target entire sectors of the Russian economy if Moscow fails to help de-escalate the crisis. The vote came as NATO foreign ministers gathered in Brussels, warning that more sanctions were possible and considering ways to bolster Ukraine's military. German Chancellor Angela Merkel told lawmakers Wednesday that Putin's move to rescind the permission for using military force in Ukraine was an ‘important psychological point,’ but that progress toward a solution remains slow and EU is still prepared to increase sanctions. Merkel, who was set to have a phone call with Putin, French President Francois Hollande and Poroshenko later in the day, said the EU will do everything possible to help find a diplomatic resolution, but added that ‘if nothing else helps, sanctions could return to the daily agenda, and this time at the third level,’ according to Yahoo News.