Dubai: Leaders from Ukraine, Russia, France and Germany were due to hold last-ditch peace talks on Wednesday in Minsk aimed at halting 10 months of conflict in eastern Ukraine that has claimed more than 5,400 lives.
The crunch summit is the climax of a frantic diplomatic push by German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande to prevent the worst East-West crisis since the end of the Cold War from escalating.
For the first time since October, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko will come face-to-face with Russian strongman Vladimir Putin — who Kiev and its Western allies accuse of masterminding the pro-Russian rebellion — in an effort to thrash out a truce.
“Tomorrow’s meeting in Minsk is one of the last chances to declare an unconditional ceasefire and withdraw heavy artillery,” Poroshenko said in a statement on Tuesday.
If the talks fail, US President Barack Obama has warned that Washington may decide to start providing arms to Ukraine, a step many European leaders have been desperately trying to avoid.
On Tuesday, Obama spoke to Putin by phone and sought to pressure him to rein in the rebels and embrace the chance for peace.
“If Russia continues its aggressive actions in Ukraine, including by sending troops, weapons, and financing to support the separatists, the costs for Russia will rise,” the White House said.
Western diplomats, however, warn the warring sides remain deadlocked over key issues, and that there is no guarantee of reaching a conclusive accord that might end resurgent fighting.
“Nothing is certain yet, and holding a summit does not mean it will lead to success,” German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said.
The plan to be discussed is based largely on flouted peace agreements between Kiev and the rebels in September. The hope is that, at minimum, a ceasefire to halt fighting that has killed hundreds of civilians in recent weeks can be agreed upon in Minsk.
In lower-level talks in the city on Tuesday ahead of the summit, the separatists submitted their settlement proposals but warned that “it is too soon to speak about a ceasefire”.
A key sticking point is whether a new deal will extend rebel control over some 500-square kilometres of territory seized over the past month.
As the peace bid headed to the wire, fighting has raged on the ground with both sides trying to strengthen their hands at the negotiating table.
Just hours before the leaders of France, Germany, Ukraine and Russia were expected to meet in Belarusian capital, 19 soldiers were killed and 79 injured in fighting.
In Donetsk, the separatists said that six civilians were killed and eight injured when a rocket exploded at a bus station. The Ukrainian army denied responsibility for the attack.
On Tuesday, a rocket attack hit the city of Kramatorsk, where the Ukrainian military operation is headquartered. The regional government said on Wednesday that 16 people were killed and 34 were injured in the incident.
Meanwhile, diplomats in Minsk continued to wrangle over a peace deal that was to be discussed in the Belarusian capital by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Francois Hollande, Ukrainian Petro Poroshenko and Russian President Vladimir Putin later in the day.
The Ukraine contact group, which consists of Russia, Ukraine and the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe, was to continue negotiations with separatist representatives, the Interfax news agency reported, quoting Belarusian foreign ministry officials.
Ukrainian forces on Tuesday captured ground around the key port city of Mariupol.
Kiev is desperate to get Putin —who has watched Western sanctions and low oil prices batter the Russian economy — to put pen to paper on a deal.
The former KGB spy has consistently told Kiev it needs to reach an agreement with the rebels, not with him.
Moscow is pushing for the separatist-held territories to be granted a large degree of autonomy, while Ukraine is demanding it gets control back over some 400 kilometres of its border with Russia.
Kiev and the West accuse Putin of pouring soldiers and troops into Ukraine to spearhead the insurgency, but Moscow flatly denies it is behind the fighting.
— Compiled from agencies
