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Ukraine conflict: Russia 'will seek fresh truce at talks' Ukraine conflict: Russia 'will seek fresh truce at talks'
(about 4 hours later)
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says he will seek an immediate ceasefire to the conflict in eastern Ukraine at talks in Berlin later. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said he will seek an immediate ceasefire to the conflict in eastern Ukraine at talks in Berlin later.
He said Russia did not want a new Cold War and that the West would not be able to isolate his country. He said Russia did not want a new Cold War, stressing that the West would not be able to isolate his country.
Violence has escalated in eastern Ukraine in the last week. Fighting between Ukrainian forces and separatists in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions has escalated in the last week.
Ukraine said Russian forces had attacked two checkpoints near a town in Luhansk on Tuesday. Russia denies sending troops into Ukraine. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said 9,000 Russian soldiers were now in Ukraine. Moscow denies the claim.
However it acknowledges that Russian "volunteers" are fighting for the rebels. Russia has repeatedly rejected accusations by Ukraine and the West that it has been sending its troops into Ukraine and arming the rebels.
Fighting has flared up along the front line in the two eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk in recent days. However, Moscow acknowledges that Russian "volunteers" are fighting for the separatists.
More than 4,800 people have been killed and some 1.2 million have fled since the rebels took control of parts of Luhansk and Donetsk regions in April.
This followed Russia's annexation of Ukraine's Crimea peninsula in March.
Push for ceasefire
Mr Lavrov's comments came at a news conference in Moscow, ahead of the talks in Berlin with his Ukrainian, French and German counterparts on the Ukraine crisis.
He admitted that a ceasefire agreement reached last September in Minsk, Belarus, was failing because a separation line established under the truce was not being respected.
Mr Lavrov said he would be "pushing for an immediate ceasefire" in Berlin as well as the withdrawal of heavy weaponry from the separation line.
Russia had done its "utmost" to resolve the conflict and "maintain the integrity of Ukraine", he said, adding that there was no evidence of Russian soldiers or weapons crossing the border.
Referring to Western sanctions against Russia over its alleged support for the rebels, Mr Lavrov said all attempts to isolate Russia would fail.
Pro-Russian separatists have fought Ukrainian forces for control of the ruined airport at Donetsk and there have been fierce clashes at two checkpoints near the town of Slovyanoserbsk, north-west of Luhansk city.Pro-Russian separatists have fought Ukrainian forces for control of the ruined airport at Donetsk and there have been fierce clashes at two checkpoints near the town of Slovyanoserbsk, north-west of Luhansk city.
Five civilians were killed and at least 30 wounded in shelling of several districts of the rebel-held city of Donetsk on Wednesday, the local authority said. The Kyivskiy and Kuibyshivskiy areas were among those worst hit. On Tuesday, Ukraine alleged that "regular military formations" of Russian troops had attacked the checkpoints, although there has been no independent confirmation.
Ukrainian military officials also said two battalion groups, both of around 400 men, had crossed into Ukraine from Russia on Monday - a claim rejected by Moscow as "hallucinations about a Russian invasion".
'500 Russian tanks'
President Poroshenko said he was cutting short his visit to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, and returning to Kiev in view of the worsening situation.
Speaking in Davos, Mr Poroshenko alleged that there were 500 Russian tanks, heavy artillery and armoured personnel carriers on Ukrainian soil.
On Wednesday, five civilians were killed and at least 30 wounded in shelling of several districts of the rebel stronghold of Donetsk, the local authority said. The city's Kyivskiy and Kuibyshivskiy areas were among those worst hit.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk said a new law to increase the size of Ukraine's army to 250,000 personnel had been delivered to parliament on Wednesday. This signifies a rise of some 68,000 people, according to government figures.Meanwhile, Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk said a new law to increase the size of Ukraine's army to 250,000 personnel had been delivered to parliament on Wednesday. This signifies a rise of some 68,000 people, according to government figures.
Addressing journalists ahead of a meeting with the foreign ministers of Ukraine, France and Germany in Berlin, Mr Lavrov said that the ceasefire agreement reached in Belarus in September was failing because a separation line established under the truce was not being respected.
Russia had done its "utmost" to resolve the conflict and "maintain the integrity of Ukraine", he said.
He added that there was no evidence of Russian soldiers or weapons crossing the border.
Ukrainian military officials said two battalion groups, both of around 400 men, had crossed into Ukraine on Monday, a statement rejected by a defence spokesman in Moscow as "hallucinations about a Russian invasion".
Ukraine alleged on Tuesday that "regular military formations" of Russian troops had attacked the two checkpoints near Slovyanoserbsk, although there has been no independent confirmation.
Mr Lavrov also criticised US President Barack Obama's State of the Union address, saying the Americans had set a course for confrontation and attempts to isolate Russia would fail.
Mr Obama's speech showed "that the United States wants to dominate the world and cannot merely be first among equals," he said.
Mr Lavrov called for the withdrawal of heavy weapons to end the fighting.
More than 4,800 people have been killed and some 1.2 million have fled since the rebels took control of parts of Luhansk and Donetsk in April.
'Victim''Victim'
Ukrainian foreign ministry spokesman Yevhen Perebyinis told local TV on that Russia had broken the agreements reached in Minsk in September "the first day after they were signed". Ukrainian foreign ministry spokesman Yevhen Perebyinis said on Wednesday that Russia had broken the Minsk agreements "the first day after they were signed".
He said rebels had gained 500 sq km (193 sq miles) in territory since then, he said.He said rebels had gained 500 sq km (193 sq miles) in territory since then, he said.
"Now they want the airport, and Russian armed forces are trying to broaden that territory.""Now they want the airport, and Russian armed forces are trying to broaden that territory."
Geoffrey Pyatt, the US ambassador to Ukraine, told the BBC the recent escalation in fighting constituted a "turning point" in the conflict.Geoffrey Pyatt, the US ambassador to Ukraine, told the BBC the recent escalation in fighting constituted a "turning point" in the conflict.
"This recent reignition of the crisis is a consequence of actions that have been taken by the Russian government - and what's going to deescalate the crisis is the actions that Russia is going to take to stop the transfer of weapons and heavy equipment and fighters across the border.""This recent reignition of the crisis is a consequence of actions that have been taken by the Russian government - and what's going to deescalate the crisis is the actions that Russia is going to take to stop the transfer of weapons and heavy equipment and fighters across the border."
"Ukraine is the victim at this stage," he added."Ukraine is the victim at this stage," he added.
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko was to cut short his visit to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Wednesday and return home in view of the worsening situation.