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Ukraine conflict: Obama warns Putin ahead of peace talks Ukraine conflict: Death toll rises ahead of peace talks
(about 2 hours later)
US President Barack Obama has warned President Vladimir Putin that Russia will face greater costs if it continues its "aggressive actions" in Ukraine. More than 20 people have died in violence in eastern Ukraine as the leaders of Russia, Ukraine, France and Germany prepare for peace talks.
Mr Obama urged his Russian counterpart to seize the opportunity of fresh talks to find a peaceful solution to the war that has raged since April last year. Nineteen Ukrainian soldiers have been killed, many of them in a town which pro-Russian rebels say they have surrounded.
Mr Putin is due to meet with the leaders of France, Germany and Ukraine at a summit in Belarus on Wednesday. Five people were reported killed by shelling in dead in rebel-held Donetsk.
However, there was intense fighting in eastern Ukraine ahead of the talks. Negotiators in Belarus are still trying to narrow differences ahead of Wednesday's planned peace summit.
Correspondents say both sides are attempting to make territorial gains before any possible peace agreement.
At least one person was killed and several injured when a shell hit a bus station in rebel-controlled Donetsk early on Wednesday.
On Tuesday, four soldiers and at least eight civilians were killed in rocket attacks on a key military base and a residential area in Kramatorsk.
Government officials said the rockets were fired from a rebel-held area, but separatists denied being behind the attack.
More than 5,400 people have died since the conflict began and civilian casualties have risen in recent weeks.
Ukraine and the West accuse Russia of sending troops and arms to support the rebels, but Russia denies this.Ukraine and the West accuse Russia of sending troops and arms to support the rebels, but Russia denies this.
The summit in the Belarusian capital Minsk is expected to focus on securing a ceasefire and the withdrawal of heavy weapons, as well as the creation of a demilitarised zone.The summit in the Belarusian capital Minsk is expected to focus on securing a ceasefire and the withdrawal of heavy weapons, as well as the creation of a demilitarised zone.
The BBC's diplomatic correspondent Bridget Kendall says it remains unclear what concessions President Putin might be prepared to make while he continues to deny Russian involvement.
Territorial gains
More than 5,400 people have died since the conflict began. Civilian casualties have risen in recent weeks, with 263 civilians killed in populated areas between 31 January and 5 February.
With both sides seeking territorial gains before a potential ceasefire, there are fears that the violence could undermine attempts to secure a long-term deal.
Rival agendas at Ukraine talksRival agendas at Ukraine talks
Ukraine: Restore government authority over breakaway areas, though Donetsk and Luhansk regions could get greater self-rule; disarm rebel forces; withdrawal of Russian troops; restore Kiev's control over Ukraine-Russia border; full prisoner exchange.Ukraine: Restore government authority over breakaway areas, though Donetsk and Luhansk regions could get greater self-rule; disarm rebel forces; withdrawal of Russian troops; restore Kiev's control over Ukraine-Russia border; full prisoner exchange.
Pro-Russian rebels: Separation from rest of Ukraine and recognition of "people's republics" of Donetsk and Luhansk; no disarmament of separatist forces; amnesty for separatist leaders.Pro-Russian rebels: Separation from rest of Ukraine and recognition of "people's republics" of Donetsk and Luhansk; no disarmament of separatist forces; amnesty for separatist leaders.
Russia: Legal guarantees for rights of Russian-speakers in eastern Ukraine; full autonomy for Donetsk and Luhansk in a federal system - not necessarily independence; no return of Crimea to Ukraine; withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from combat zone.Russia: Legal guarantees for rights of Russian-speakers in eastern Ukraine; full autonomy for Donetsk and Luhansk in a federal system - not necessarily independence; no return of Crimea to Ukraine; withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from combat zone.
EU and US: Restore Ukraine's territorial integrity; end Russian intervention in eastern Ukraine - withdrawal of all Russian troops and heavy weapons; effective monitoring of Russia-Ukraine border and demilitarised zone between the combatants; full democracy in Donetsk and Luhansk.EU and US: Restore Ukraine's territorial integrity; end Russian intervention in eastern Ukraine - withdrawal of all Russian troops and heavy weapons; effective monitoring of Russia-Ukraine border and demilitarised zone between the combatants; full democracy in Donetsk and Luhansk.
The BBC's diplomatic correspondent Bridget Kendall says it remains unclear what concessions President Putin might be prepared to make while he continues to deny Russian involvement. September 2014 ceasefire: The 12-point plan
Why has conflict returned to eastern Ukraine?
The majority of Ukrainian military casualties were near Debaltseve, a major transport hub where thousands of soldiers are under rebel siege.
The separatists say they have cut off the main supply road into the town from the west as they try to capture a tongue-shaped area that cuts into the eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk.
While the government wants 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.
At least two people were killed in the city and several more injured when a shell hit a bus station in rebel-controlled Donetsk early on Wednesday. Three more deaths were reported overnight by local authorities.
Responding to the surge in violence, Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko said Wednesday's summit was one of the final chances to bring about an unconditional ceasefire and withdrawal of heavy weapons.
He was visiting the scene of a rocket attack in the city of Kramatorsk, deep into government-held territory, in which soldiers and civilians were killed.
Volunteer pro-government fighters have also seized territory this week, capturing villages from the rebels outside the government-held of Mariupol.
US President Barack Obama warned President Vladimir Putin late on Tuesday that Russia would face greater costs if it continued its "aggressive actions" in Ukraine.
He urged his Russian counterpart to seize the opportunity of fresh talks to find a peaceful solution to the war that has raged since April last year.
President Obama phoned Mr Putin on the eve of the talks to reiterate US support for Ukraine, just days after he refused to rule out supplying "lethal defensive weapons" to Kiev if diplomacy fails.President Obama phoned Mr Putin on the eve of the talks to reiterate US support for Ukraine, just days after he refused to rule out supplying "lethal defensive weapons" to Kiev if diplomacy fails.
Russia, however, has warned the West that sending arms to Ukraine would worsen the crisis.Russia, however, has warned the West that sending arms to Ukraine would worsen the crisis.
As well as the violence in Kramatorsk, there were also renewed clashes elsewhere in eastern Ukraine.
Rebels said they had cut off the last supply route for government troops holed up in Debaltseve, a railway hub near Donetsk.
Meanwhile, the commander of an ultra-nationalist volunteer group loyal to Kiev said its forces, which are based in Mariupol, were advancing on pro-Russian rebels outside the southern port city.
Ukraine's war: The human costUkraine's war: The human cost
Source: Figures from UN report, 6 FebruarySource: Figures from UN report, 6 February
Do you live in eastern Ukraine? You can email your experiences to haveyoursay@bbc.co.ukDo you live in eastern Ukraine? You can email your experiences to haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk
Please include a contact number if you wish to be contacted by a BBC journalist.Please include a contact number if you wish to be contacted by a BBC journalist.
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