French President Francois Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel are due to hold talks in Moscow to try to end escalating fighting in east Ukraine.
Their meeting with President Vladimir Putin follows urgent talks in Kiev, where a new peace plan was presented. It comes as civilians in the key town of Debaltseve are being forced to hide underground as Ukrainian forces try to hold out against rebel attacks. Moscow is accused of arming pro-Russian separatists - a claim it denies. Russia also rejects claims by Ukraine and the West that its regular troops are fighting alongside the rebels in the eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Clashes have left nearly 5,400 people dead since April, the UN says. As a result, a September ceasefire - signed in Minsk, Belarus - is now in tatters. Ukraine is also set to dominate an annual multi-lateral security conference in Munich and meetings between US Vice-President Joe Biden and top EU officials in Brussels. US Secretary of State John Kerry, who was also in Kiev, said the US wanted a diplomatic solution, but would not close its eyes to Russian aggression.
Their meeting with President Vladimir Putin follows urgent talks in Kiev, where a new peace plan was presented. It comes as civilians in the key town of Debaltseve are being forced to hide underground as Ukrainian forces try to hold out against rebel attacks. Moscow is accused of arming pro-Russian separatists - a claim it denies. Russia also rejects claims by Ukraine and the West that its regular troops are fighting alongside the rebels in the eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Clashes have left nearly 5,400 people dead since April, the UN says. As a result, a September ceasefire - signed in Minsk, Belarus - is now in tatters. Ukraine is also set to dominate an annual multi-lateral security conference in Munich and meetings between US Vice-President Joe Biden and top EU officials in Brussels. US Secretary of State John Kerry, who was also in Kiev, said the US wanted a diplomatic solution, but would not close its eyes to Russian aggression.
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