Ukraine conflict: Death toll rises ahead of peace talks

More than 20 people have died in violence in eastern Ukraine as the leaders of Russia, Ukraine, France and Germany prepare for peace talks.

Nineteen Ukrainian soldiers were killed, many in a town that pro-Russian rebels say they have surrounded.

Five people were reported killed by shelling in rebel-held Donetsk.

The talks in the Belarusian capital Minsk are set to focus on securing a ceasefire, withdrawal of heavy weapons and creating a demilitarised zone.

But negotiators are still trying to narrow differences ahead of the summit, to be attended by Russia’s President Vladimir Putin and Ukraine’s President Petro Poroshenko, as well as Francois Hollande of France and Germany’s Angela Merkel.

Ukraine’s president (C) was shown an unexploded rocket that landed deep inside government territory

While the Ukrainian government is seeking a demarcation line based on the failed ceasefire agreed on 5 September in Belarus last year, the rebels want a new truce to reflect the gains they have made in recent weeks, the BBC’s James Reynolds reports from Donetsk.

More than 5,400 people have died since the conflict began, and there has been a dramatic rise in casualties in recent days, with 263 civilians killed in populated areas between 31 January and 5 February.

BBC