President Barroso made separate telephone calls today to Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and Russian President Vladimir Putin regarding the situation in Ukraine.

President Dalia Grybauskaitė extended congratulations, on behalf of the Lithuanian people and on her own behalf, to the President-elect of the Republic of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

The European Union is increasing by an additional €8 million its efforts to contain the spread of the Ebola outbreak in West Africa. This is the fourth increase of EU assistance for this crisis. It brings the Commission's aid in 2014 to fight the Ebola epidemic, which the World Health Organization (WHO) has just declared a "Public Health Emergency of International Concern", to €11.9 million. In addition, a second "European mobile laboratory" will be deployed in the coming days, most likely to Sierra Leone, to provide essential support to diagnostics and testing.

The Appellate Body of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) today ruled in the EU's favour. It confirmed the findings made by a Panel in March 2014 that China's export restrictions on rare earth, as well as tungsten and molybdenum, are in breach of WTO rules. Backing the claims of the EU and its co-complainants, the US and Japan, the WTO found that China's export duties and quotas were not justified for reasons of environmental protection or conservation policy.

Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Andrius Krivas was representing Lithuania at the commemoration of World War 1 Centenary in the city of Liege in Belgium on 4 August 2014.

President Dalia Grybauskaitė extended condolences, both personally and on behalf of the Lithuanian people, to President Xi Jinping of China over the deadly earthquake in China's province of Yunnan.

Gaza has been suffering from intolerable violence for more than three weeks already. We deplore the terrible loss of lives, including innocent women and children. Many have been injured, property and livelihoods have been destroyed. This needs to stop immediately. We strongly condemn continued rocket fire over Israel.

The European Commission is giving an additional €10 million for Somalia in response to the increasing humanitarian needs there. This will help respond to the serious food and nutrition crisis that Somalis are currently facing, and will provide basic healthcare and nutrition services, access to food, water, sanitation, as well as shelter and household items for the most vulnerable people.

The Council has adopted further EU restrictive measures targeting sectoral cooperation and exchanges with the Russian Federation. This decision gives legal value to the agreements reached at the Council's Committee of Permanent Representatives on 29 July.

We, the leaders of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States, the President of the European Council and the President of the European Commission, join in expressing our grave concern about Russia's continued actions to undermine Ukraine's sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence. We once again condemn Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea, and actions to de-stabilise eastern Ukraine. Those actions are unacceptable and violate international law.