No end in sight to conflict between Russia And Ukraine

Ukrainian and pro-Russian rebel leaders tried on Friday to revive peace talks that stalled after just one round due to stark difference over how to end the eight-month separatist war. A tense meeting mediated by European and Russian envoys in the Belarussian capital Minsk on Wednesday was due to have been followed by a final one on Friday at which a comprehensive peace accord was signed.

But Wednesday’s session broke up after more than five hours with a deal reached on only the least contentious of the four agenda points: a prisoner swap that will involve 225 guerrillas and 150 Ukrainian troops. Smaller such exchanges have been frequent and often involved dozens of men. Yet they appear to have built far less trust between the warring parties than Ukraine’s Western allies would have hoped. Belarussian foreign ministry said spokesman Dmitry Mironchik told AFP by telephone that “there will be no contact group meeting today”.

And an aide to one of the two rebels at Wednesday’s negotiations said he was heading back to the separatist east Ukranian region of Donetsk because there appeared to be little point in staying in Minsk.

But a senior Ukranian source told AFP there was still a chance that a Minsk meeting could be arranged for Friday if more preliminary consultations were held.