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The US and Russian foreign ministers expressed cautious optimism after holding talks in Geneva Monday to end fighting in Ukraine, where the UN says more than 6,000 people have died in less than a year. The meeting between John Kerry and Sergei Lavrov in Geneva was just one of several attempts at mediation on the conflict Monday, as high-stakes talks to resolve a bitter gas dispute between Kiev and Moscow took place in Brussels. Speaking separately after their 80-minute meeting, Kerry and Lavrov both cautiously said a February 15 ceasefire was on the right track, despite repeated breaches of the peace deal that have left hundreds dead.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Washington on Monday that an emerging nuclear deal with Iran could threaten his country's very survival, but insisted Israel-US relations remain solid. "You are here to tell the world that reports of the demise of the US relationship is not only premature, but it is wrong," the Israeli leader told delegates to a packed pro-Israel conference in Washington. Netanyahu goes to Capitol Hill on Tuesday to address a joint meeting of Congress on the perils of President Barack Obama's ongoing efforts to reach agreement with Iran to curtail its nuclear program. "My speech is not intended to show any disrespect to President Obama or the office that he holds.

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — Estonia's prime minister was preparing to form a new government Monday, a day after his ruling Reform Party won parliamentary elections.