Ari Shapiro

People in the region cling to the decaying world they're familiar with — and think they would have a more secure future with post-Soviet Russia than with Ukraine in the "capitalist" EU.

Pro-Russian demonstrations have led to standoffs in three Ukrainian cities. The confrontation is considered especially dangerous in Luhansk, where protesters took over a building filled with weapons.

Protests in eastern Ukraine are the focal point of the country's crisis with implications that stretch beyond its borders. Yet life in most of Donetsk seems untouched by the turmoil.

Pro-Russia demonstrators have taken over government offices in Donetsk and other major cities in eastern Ukraine. They're demanding a vote on whether the region should leave Ukraine and join Russia.

The International Monetary Fund has agreed to help Ukraine with a loan of more than $14 billion — in exchange for tough austerity measures. And Russia is threatening to raise Ukraine's gas prices.

NPR's Stephen Thompson recommends "I'm Not Part Of Me" by Cloud Nothings, as an excellent track for the beginning of spring.

Dump trucks are carrying away piles of trash from Independence Square in Kiev. But this is not the end of the protests in the Maidan. People who've been camping there for months see it as a transition to the next stage.

President Obama is visiting the European Union and NATO headquarters in Brussels for talks that will likely be dominated by Russia and Afghanistan.

President Obama is in Brussels for meetings with NATO and the European Union. Events on the sideline of Tuesday's nuclear summit at The Hague have eclipsed the nuclear agenda itself.

President Obama is holding a series of bilateral meetings with world leaders in The Hague. Although the event is focused on nuclear disarmament, international attention is dominated by events in Ukraine.

President Obama attends the Nuclear Security Summit in The Hague on Tuesday. With relations between the U.S. and Russia at a critical point, there are doubts that much progress can be achieved.

A major nuclear summit in the Netherlands is convening more than 50 world leaders, including President Obama. The meeting allows European and U.S. leaders to discuss a concerted response to Russia.

President Obama is doing serious work in Europe this week, meeting with the G-7, NATO and the EU to discuss Russia's actions in Ukraine. He's also joining leaders from more than 50 countries in The Hague to talk about keeping nuclear weapons away from terrorists. But before the intense negotiations ...

Russia's actions in Ukraine have brought NATO's mission into much clearer focus. The military alliance now faces a political crisis in its own backyard, in Eastern Europe and the Baltics.

President Obama goes to The Hague for a nuclear security summit Monday. Although the crisis in Ukraine is overshadowing the event, there is a packed agenda independent of the tensions...

The people of Scotland will decide in a September referendum whether Scotland stays in the UK or declares independence after 300 years in the fold. Glasgow is ground zero in the growing campaign.

For the first time, Scots will be able to vote on whether they want to remain part of the United Kingdom or strike out on their own. So far, polls suggest most favor unity over independence.

European leaders have condemned the secession referendum in Crimea. They have reacted by imposing a visa ban and asset freeze on 21 people said to be behind Russia's actions in the region.

Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov meet in London Friday for talks about the crisis in Ukraine.

The UK Independence Party doesn't have any seats in parliament. But it does seem to influence Britain's ruling Conservatives by tapping into the same themes favored by the Tea Party in the U.S.