Canada’s International Trade Minister Talks Free Trade in Kyiv as Fighting …

International Trade Minister Ed Fast will be in Kyiv for two days of meetings as fighting intensifies between Ukrainian forces and pro-Russian separatists in the east of the embattled country.

Fast, has been to Ukraine twice is the last six months, and is there to talk free trade. Negotiations towards such an agreement were given a high-level political jolt last fall during Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko’s visit to Ottawa, where he and Prime Minister Stephen Harper ordered officials to accelerate their work on the pact.

The minister arrived one day after 30 people were reported killed in shelling in the east Ukrainian port city of Mariupol. Ukraine’s president says he has irrefutable evidence that Russian-backed separatists launched rockets into the southeastern city, following the separatists’ rejection of more peace talks. Petro Poroshenko says intercepted radio and telephone conversations prove the rebels are responsible for the deadly attack.

On Friday, the United Nations reported that 262 people had been killed in the previous nine days.

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