(VOVworld) - Peace talks towards a new ceasefire in Ukraine collapsed on Saturday. According to Former Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma, Kiev's representative, the delayed talks in Minsk were "thwarted" after top rebel leaders stayed away and their negotiators refused to discuss an immediate ceasefire and the withdrawal of heavy weapons.
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| A woman surveys damage done to a house, which was damaged by shelling, in the suburbs of Donetsk on January 30, 2015. (Photo: Reuters) |
Conflicts are mounting in eastern Ukraine. Eduard Basurin, Deputy Commander of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic, said opposition forces are holding the villages of Kalinovka and Nikishini near Debaltsevo and roads leading to the town of Artemovsk. Ukrainian MP Viktor Balogha admitted said Ukrainian troops are likely to be trapped in Debaltsevo.