Minsk Summit

European Union leaders will discuss toughening their sanctions regime against Belarus on Monday at their planned summit, after Minsk diverted a passenger flight and arrested an opposition activist.

The leaders of Germany, France and Russia met on Saturday and agreed on the importance of implementing a ceasefire in eastern Ukraine, agreed under the Minsk accords, a German government spokesman said.

There is "no good news yet" from a marathon four-way peace summit in Minsk, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko told AFP on Thursday, as Russia is imposing "unacceptable" conditions.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said today that Kiev would seek a "ceasefire without any conditions" during the upcoming talks in Belarus's capital Minsk on the conflict in eastern Ukraine.

Leaders from Ukraine, Russia, France and Germany were due to hold last-ditch peace talks today aimed at halting 10 months of conflict in east Ukraine that has claimed over 5,400 lives.

Intense fighting in Ukraine, including a rocket strike on Kiev's military headquarters in the east, killed at least 23 people on Tuesday on the eve of a four-way peace summit.

Hundreds of Russian troops started military exercises in southern Russia near the border with Ukraine on today, in a show of strength before a summit on the Ukraine crisis in the Belarussian capital Minsk.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said the conflict in Ukraine will continue if rival groups there do not agree among themselves, in comments published on Monday ahead of a proposed summit with French, German and Ukrainian leaders.

A summit between France, Germany, Russia and Ukraine is being planned for Wednesday in Minsk, the latest step in a hectic diplomatic effort to find a political solution to the Ukraine conflict, Berlin said.

European Union leaders will discuss toughening their sanctions regime against Belarus on Monday at their planned summit, after Minsk diverted a passenger flight and arrested an opposition activist.

The leaders of Germany, France and Russia met on Saturday and agreed on the importance of implementing a ceasefire in eastern Ukraine, agreed under the Minsk accords, a German government spokesman said.

There is "no good news yet" from a marathon four-way peace summit in Minsk, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko told AFP on Thursday, as Russia is imposing "unacceptable" conditions.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said today that Kiev would seek a "ceasefire without any conditions" during the upcoming talks in Belarus's capital Minsk on the conflict in eastern Ukraine.

Leaders from Ukraine, Russia, France and Germany were due to hold last-ditch peace talks today aimed at halting 10 months of conflict in east Ukraine that has claimed over 5,400 lives.

Intense fighting in Ukraine, including a rocket strike on Kiev's military headquarters in the east, killed at least 23 people on Tuesday on the eve of a four-way peace summit.

Hundreds of Russian troops started military exercises in southern Russia near the border with Ukraine on today, in a show of strength before a summit on the Ukraine crisis in the Belarussian capital Minsk.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said the conflict in Ukraine will continue if rival groups there do not agree among themselves, in comments published on Monday ahead of a proposed summit with French, German and Ukrainian leaders.

A summit between France, Germany, Russia and Ukraine is being planned for Wednesday in Minsk, the latest step in a hectic diplomatic effort to find a political solution to the Ukraine conflict, Berlin said.