Talks on settlement break down in belarus

The foreign ministry of Belarus, which has been hosting Ukraine peace talks, says the much-anticipated round of negotiations on Friday has been scrapped.

Ministry spokesman Dmitry Mironchik told The Associated Press that the talks broke down, but did not give a reason.

The opening round was held on Wednesday, one day after Ukraine's decision to drop its nonaligned status, which added a new element of tension to the attempts to resolve the violent crisis in the country.