Section: Boston Herald (USA)
Peace in Ukraine is goal of four-nation talks in Minsk
BERLIN — As Russian-backed separatists gain ground in eastern Ukraine, efforts to broker peace appeared to gain momentum Sunday, with leaders of Germany, France, Russia and Ukraine announcing plans for four-way talks this week.The proposed meeting Wednesday in the Belarusian capital of Minsk emerged from a phone call between German Chancellor...
Leaders aim to hold Ukraine summit in Minsk Wednesday
BERLIN — Efforts to broker a peace deal in Ukraine gained momentum Sunday with leaders of Germany, France, Russia and Ukraine announcing they aim to hold four-way talks this week, even as fighting rages on.The plan for a meeting Wednesday in the Belarusian capital of Minsk emerged from a phone call between German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French...
Ukraine president pushes for fast cease-fire, defensive arms
MUNICH — Ukraine’s president pushed for both a quick cease-fire in his country’s troubled east and defensive weapons from the West, as mediators sought momentum Saturday for a deal to stem the fighting at Europe’s edge.Petro Poroshenko and Russian President Vladimir Putin are to confer with the leaders of Germany and France by...
Ukraine president presses for quick cease-fire
MUNICH — Ukraine’s president pushed Saturday for a quick cease-fire in his country’s troubled east, insisting that the conflict must be resolved and not “frozen,” and pressed Kiev’s case to be supplied with defensive weapons.Petro Poroshenko spoke amid a hectic flurry of diplomacy. Hours earlier, German Chancellor...
Merkel uncertain of chances for Ukraine deal
MUNICH — German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Saturday that she’s still unsure of reaching a deal to calm the crisis in Ukraine, which France’s president said could feature a broad demilitarized zone and greater autonomy for the separatist eastern region.Merkel and French President Francois Hollande traveled to Kiev Thursday and...
Putin, Ukraine leader to hold 4-way phone call on peace plan
MOSCOW — Talks among the leaders of Russia, France and Germany on a peace initiative for Ukraine ended early Saturday with an announcement that Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart would discuss a proposal to end the fighting in a four-way telephone call this weekend. …read more Source: Boston...
Civilians flee east Ukraine town as fighting intensifies
DEBALTSEVE, Ukraine — Outgoing heavy-caliber fire boomed incessantly, shaking the ground and rattling windows around the besieged town. Residents of Debaltseve, seemingly inured to the racket, listened impassively as they mustered at the town hall on Saturday to be evacuated with as many belongings as they could carry. …read more Source:...
Russia defiant after more threats from West over Ukraine
MOSCOW — Russian officials struck a defiant note Monday after Western leaders threatened to further punish Moscow for escalated fighting in eastern Ukraine over the weekend.In televised comments after a meeting with students in St. Petersburg, President Vladimir Putin said that Ukraine’s army was at fault for the uptick in violence and...
Ukraine: Phone calls prove rebels attacked city, killed 30
KIEV, Ukraine — Ukraine’s leader says intercepted radio and telephone conversations prove that Russian-backed separatists were responsible for firing the rockets that pounded the southeastern city of Mariupol and killed at least 30 people.President Petro Poroshenko, who held an emergency meeting Sunday of his Security Council, said the...
Rockets kill 30 in Ukrainian city as rebels launch offensive
KIEV, Ukraine — Indiscriminate rocket fire slammed into a market, schools, homes and shops Saturday in the eastern Ukrainian city of Mariupol, killing at least 30 people, authorities said.Ukrainian officials rushed to defend the strategically important port city as the separatists’ top leader declared that an offensive against it had begun....
