Russian leader to attend Ukraine peace talks in Minsk
Russian President Vladimir Putin will take part in a peace summit in the Belarusian capital, Minsk, later this week, which aims to end conflicts between government troops and pro-Russia forces in eastern Ukraine.
“Putin is expected to visit Minsk on February 11 to partake in the Normandy quartet talks," the press service of the Kremlin said in a statement.
The Russian leader is set to join German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande in the talks which are expected to be also attended by Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko.
The leaders will exchange views over a new Franco-German peace initiative meant to resolve the ongoing conflict in the eastern part of Ukraine.
Fatalities ahead of Minsk peace summit
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s military spokesman, Vladyslav Seleznyov, told journalists in the capital, Kiev, on Wednesday that at least 19 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed and 78 others wounded in clashes with pro-Russia forces in east Ukraine over the past 24 hours.
The clashes took place near the key railway town of Debaltseve in the volatile east.
On Tuesday, at least seven people were also reported dead and more than 20 injured in an attack on the town of Kramatorsk.
Uncertainty looming over talks
On the eve of the talks, Hollande said, “We are going to Minsk with strong intentions to succeed without being sure if we can.”
Poroshenko has also said that the "meeting in Minsk is one of the last chances to declare an unconditional ceasefire and withdraw heavy artillery."
US to arm Ukraine if talks fail
Additionally, US President Barack Obama has warned that Washington may decide to start providing arms to Ukraine in case the crunch peace summit in Minks does not culminate in any concrete results.
The White House said Obama urged Putin by phone to rein in pro-Moscow forces in eastern Ukraine and stop “financing to support them, otherwise the costs for Russia will rise."
Ukraine crisis
The two mainly Russian-speaking regions of Donetsk and Lugansk in eastern Ukraine have been the scene of deadly clashes between pro-Russia forces and the Ukrainian army since Kiev launched military operations to silence protests there in mid-April 2014.
Violence intensified in May last year after the two flashpoint regions held local referendums in which their residents voted overwhelmingly in favor of independence from Ukraine and joining the Russian Federation.
The fighting has reportedly left 5,500 people dead, and more than 12,900 others injured.
MP/KA/SS
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