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Ukraine crisis: Leaders in new diplomatic push for peace

February 5th, 2015 | Tags: war peace plan eastern Ukraine Russia
More than 5,000 people have been killed in the war in eastern Ukraine. Photo: AFP
BBC NEWS

Diplomatic efforts are underway to end renewed fighting in eastern Ukraine.

French President Francois Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel are heading to the capital Kiev to present a new peace initiative.

US Secretary of State John Kerry, who is also in Kiev, said the US wanted a diplomatic solution, but would not close its eyes to Russian aggression.

Fighting between Ukrainian forces and pro-Russian rebels has killed more than 5,000 people since last April.

Ukraine and the West have accused Russia of arming rebels in eastern Ukraine and sending regular troops across the border.

Russia denies direct involvement but says some Russian volunteers are fighting alongside the rebels.

Speaking in a joint news conference with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, Mr Kerry said it was a "critical moment for this region, for this country, for the prospects of peace".

"We want a diplomatic resolution but we cannot close our eyes to tanks that are crossing the border from Russia and coming into Ukraine," he said.

US President Barack Obama is said to be considering sending "defensive" weapons to Ukraine. The US is currently only providing "non-lethal" assistance.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said any decision by the US to supply weapons to Ukraine would "inflict colossal damage to Russian-American relations".

Meanwhile, Mr Hollande said that he and Mrs Merkel would present a new peace proposal based on the "territorial integrity" of Ukraine, which could be "acceptable to all".

However, he warned that diplomacy "cannot go on indefinitely".

"Ukraine is at war. Heavy weapons are being used and civilians are being killed daily," the French leader said.

French President Francois Hollande during a press conference at the Elysee Palace in Paris - 5 February 2015
President Hollande said "time is of the essence" in finding a solution to the ongoing fighting

Mr Hollande and Mrs Merkel will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Friday.

A spokesman for the Kremlin said Mr Putin would discuss "the fastest possible end to the civil war in south-eastern Ukraine".

The talks in Kiev come as Nato unveils details of a plan to bolster its military presence in Eastern Europe in response to the Ukraine crisis.

Nato chief Jens Stoltenberg says it will be the biggest reinforcement of its collective defence since the end of the Cold War.

A new rapid reaction "spearhead" force of up to 5,000 troops is expected to be announced, with its lead units able to deploy at two days' notice.

President Poroshenko shakes hands with US Secretary of State John Kerry during a meeting in Kiev, Ukraine - 5 February 2015
US Secretary of State John Kerry (right) met President Poroshenko in Kiev on Thursday

Nato is also establishing a network of small command centres in Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, Romania, and Bulgaria.

Mr Stoltenberg said the bloc was responding to "the aggressive actions we have seen from Russia, violating international law and annexing Crimea".

New sanctions

Meanwhile, officials said on Thursday that the European Union is adding 19 people, including five Russians, to its sanctions list over the Ukraine crisis.

Nine "entities" will also be targeted by the sanctions, which were reportedly agreed at an emergency meeting of EU foreign ministers last week.

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Fighting has intensified in eastern Ukraine in recent weeks amid a rebel offensive.

On Thursday, both government and rebel officials said several civilians had been killed in clashes over the past 24 hours. Ukraine's military said five of its soldiers had died in the same period.

The fiercest fighting has been near the town of Debaltseve, where rebels are trying to surround Ukrainian troops. The town is a crucial rail hub linking the rebel-held cities of Donetsk and Luhansk.

Some 1.2 million Ukrainians have fled their homes since last April, when the rebels seized a big swathe of the Luhansk and Donetsk regions following Russia's annexation of Crimea.

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