Attacks threaten talks in Ukraine

Rockets killed more than 10 civilians and soldiers deep in Ukrainian government-held territory yesterday and rebels pushed on with an assault on an army-held rail junction, setbacks that showed Kiev’s position worsening on the eve of peace talks.

Advances by pro-Russian rebels diminished hopes of a deal when Russia, Ukraine, France and Germany hold a summit in Belarus today under a new Franco-German initiative to halt fighting in a war that has killed more than 5,000 people.

TASS news agency reported that representatives of Russia, Ukraine, the rebels and the OSCE security watchdog meeting on Tuesday before the summit in Minsk had agreed a ceasefire along with a monitoring mechanism and a scheme for the withdrawal of heavy weapons.