Five More Ukrainian Soldiers Killed Despite Truce -- Kiev military
KIEV, Dec 19 (Reuters) -- Kiev's military said on Friday five Ukrainian soldiers had been killed and seven wounded in attacks by pro-Russian separatists in the past 24 hours, a larger than normal death toll compared with recent weeks.
A September ceasefire has been repeatedly flouted by both sides, but shelling lessened significantly in December, fuelling hopes of de-escalation of the conflict which has killed over 4,700 people since April.
"For now there's only firing from firearms, they are not using tanks or artillery. We cannot say that the situation has escalated," military spokesman Andriy Lysenko said in a televised briefing.
Ukraine Separatists Seek Talks, German Mediator En Route To Kiev
Berlin (dpa) -- Germany's Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier flew Friday to Kiev for talks aimed at re-starting negotiations to resolve the conflict in Ukraine, his aides said.
Steinmeier, who has been a principal mediator, is slated to meet with Ukraine's President Petro Poroschenko and Prime Minister Arseny Yatsenyuk.
In Moscow, officials said Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov had already phoned Steinmeier and urged for a meeting of the trilateral Contact Group consisting of Russia, Ukraine and the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).
Earlier this week, Poroshenko agreed in a conference call with
Russian President Vladimir Putin, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande to hold fresh peace talks with the separatists.
In Donetsk, separatist leader Denis Pushilin said he would be willing to meet on Monday or Tuesday with the Contact Group, adding his demands for a September-brokered ceasefire to hold, an exchange of prisoners, withdrawals of artillery and an end to Kiev's blockade of the Donbass region.
He also called for a special status to be accorded to the region. On Friday, he added, a web conference would take place with Kiev to settle the date and agenda.
A fresh ceasefire in the region has been holding since last week.
Late Thursday, EU leaders vowed to keep in place sanctions against Russia, which they accuse of supplying the separatists.
Here is today's situation map of eastern Ukraine by the National Security and Defense Council:
A "would-be bomber" arrested in Kyiv:
The Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) says it has foiled an alleged plot to detonate explosives in a crowded area in the capital, Kyiv.
Markian Lubkivskiy, an adviser to the SBU chief, said at a briefing in Kyiv on December 19 that security and counterterrorism forces had prevented what could have been a major attack.
Lubkivskiy said Luhansk resident Anastasia Kovalenko was detained during the morning of December 17 shortly after she arrived in Kyiv by bus.
The eastern Ukrainian city of Luhansk is currently under the control of pro-Russian separatists.
Lubkivskiy said Kovalenko had some 3 kilograms of explosive material when she was detained.
A video showed Kovalenko reading a statement saying that an individual named Konstantin had given her a bag containing the explosives, and instructions to leave the bag near a crowded area.
Lubkivskiy said the SBU had received a tip about Kovalenko's arrival and what she was carrying.
The contact group for Ukraine peace talks may meet on Sunday:
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier says the contact group tasked with facilitating a peaceful resolution to the war in eastern Ukraine may meet in Minsk on December 21.
Speaking in Kyiv, Steinmeier said the group held a video conference on December 19, and that he hoped they would meet again physically during the weekend.
Steinmeier said there is still "much to do" to implement the so-called Minsk peace agreement. But he added that a constructive contact group meeting would be "a sign of hope before Christmas, of hope that things will be better next year."
The Contact Group for Ukraine brings together representatives from Ukraine, Russia, and the OSCE.
Steinmeier's remarks followed a telephone conversation with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov. The Russian Foreign Ministry later issued a statement calling for the contact group to meet in the "near future." (Interfax and Reuters)