Ukraine pushes for quick ceasefire

Ukraine’s president has pushed for a quick ceasefire in his country’s troubled east, insisting that the conflict must be resolved and not “frozen,” and pressed Kiev’s case to be supplied with defensive weapons.

Petro Poroshenko spoke amid a hectic flurry of diplomacy at a summit in Germany. Hours earlier, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she was still unsure of reaching a deal to calm the crisis, which France’s president said could feature a broad demilitarised zone and greater autonomy for Ukraine’s separatist eastern region.