Russian and Ukrainian leaders discuss peace plan

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko called Russia's Vladimir Putin to discuss a plan to end the bloodshed in eastern Ukraine, the second late-night phone conversation between the leaders this week, the Kremlin said.

"Poroshenko informed the Russian head of state regarding the main points of his plan to regulate the situation in southeast Ukraine," the Kremlin said in a statement late on Thursday.

Putin gave "a series of comments" on the plan stressing an "immediate end to the military operation" that was launched by Kiev against separatist militia in Ukraine's eastern regions of Donetsk and Lugansk.

Ukraine's presidency said that Poroshenko "outlined the key positions and the timeline for realization of the peace plan for the situation in the east of the country", stressing the need for hostages to be freed by the separatists.

Poroshenko told Putin that he "counts on support of the peace plan" after a cease fire, his press service said in a statement.

Rebels operate tanks

Fighting in the east has already claimed at least 360 lives in Ukraine since April, the country's worse crisis since its independence in 1991.

Seven Ukrainian troops were killed in overnight fighting in the restive east, Ukrainian officials said on Friday, as clashes between government forces and rebels flared two days after the president said he would soon call a unilateral cease fire.

Rebels were operating tanks in the region, a particular sore spot for Ukraine, which accuses Russia of letting the vehicles cross the border.

Vladislav Seleznev, spokesman for Ukrainian forces in the east, said the seven soldiers had been killed since Thursday and 30 injured in fighting against separatists outside the village of Yampil in the Donetsk region. He said 300 rebels were killed, but that could not be immediately verified.

Russian President Putin has voiced concern about the Ukrainian military onslaught, while NATO reported on Thursday that Russia was resuming a military buildup at the Ukrainian border.

The Kremlin denied such claims on Friday and said Moscow had brought in more border guards because of security concerns.

NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said on Thursday that at least a few thousand more Russian troops were now at the frontier, and called it a regrettable step backward following an earlier withdrawal from the border.

"There has been no buildup," Yuri Ushakov, Putin's foreign policy adviser, told reporters.

He said Russia was concerned about security at the border and said: "This means just the border guards are getting a few reinforcements, and troops have been withdrawn."

He added that Putin and his US counterpart Barack Obama will discuss the situation in Ukraine "in the coming days", but did not provide further details about an upcoming phone call.

AFP-AP-Reuters

(China Daily 06/21/2014 page8)