Revised Ukraine peace deal on table

The leaders of Germany and France have announced a new peace plan for Ukraine, flying together to Kiev and then Moscow with a proposal to resolve the conflict that could be “acceptable to all”.

The co-ordinated trip by Chancellor Angela Merkel and President Francois Hollande comes as rebels advanced on a railway hub held by Ukrainian troops after launching an offensive that scuppered a five-month-old ceasefire.

With Washington talking of arming Ukraine for the first time, US Secretary of State John Kerry also visited Kiev. He had no plans to go to Moscow and was not involved in the Franco- German initiative, although he supported it.