Peace talks between the Ukrainian government and separatists break down

According to AFP, on January 31, four-hour peace talks aimed at a ceasefire between separatist forces and the Ukrainian government ended without reaching any agreement.

A separatist gunman in the Donetsk region (Source: AFP)

According to representatives of the Kiev government participating in the talks in Minsk (Belarus), including former Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma, the meeting “broke down and failed” after senior rebel leaders kept their distance and their negotiators refused to discuss a plan for an immediate ceasefire and withdrawal of heavy weapons.

In a related development, on the same day, the Kremlin said that Russian President Vladimir Putin, French President Francois Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel held a three-way phone call, in which the leaders urged the warring parties in Ukraine to agree on an immediate ceasefire agreement when sitting at the negotiating table./.

According to VNA