NEWSWATCH: Ukraine peace talks collapse, Kiev and separatists trade blame

[“Ukraine peace talks collapse, Kiev and separatists trade blame” – Andrei Makhovsky, Richard Balmforth – Reuters – January 31, 2015]

Reuters covers a breakdown in attempted Ukraine conflict peace talks in Minsk, Belarus.

Peace talks on Ukraine collapsed … Saturday … with no tangible progress towards a new ceasefire ….

Ukraine’s representative, former president Leonid Kuchma, left the talks in Minsk … [saying] that separatist officials … undermined the meeting …  making ultimatums and refusing ‘to discuss a plan of measures for a quick ceasefire and a pull-back of heavy weapons.’

Denis Pushilin, one of the separatist officials … [said] they were ready for dialogue ‘but not … ultimatums from Kiev while shelling by their forces is going on … in the Donbass ….’

The meeting of the “contact group”, which also involves a Russian envoy and an official from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, took place … even as fighting between Kiev’s forces and the Russian-backed rebels raged on in Ukraine’s east ….

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