Minsk: Ukraine peace talks break up within hours
Fifteen Ukrainian soldiers killed in latest fighting; Russia to construct bridge to Crimea
Peace talks to thrash out a truce agreement between pro-Russian rebels and Ukraine ended without a deal Saturday, Kyiv’s representatives at the talks in Minsk said.
However, only hours after the talks began, Reuters reported that “key players” have left the meeting, indicating that the negotiations did not pick up.
Former Ukrainian president Leonid Kuchma told Interfax Ukraine news agency that the summit had “broken up in failure” after top rebel leaders stayed away and their negotiators refused to discuss a plan for an immediate ceasefire.
Alongside Kuchma, also participting in the talks were the OSCE’s Heidi Tagliavini, and separatist representatives Denis Pushilin and Vladislav Deinego, as well as Russian ambassador to Kyiv Mikhail Zurabov.
Earlier, fighting in Ukraine between pro-Russian rebels and Ukrainian forces in the east of the country continued to take a bloody toll, leaving 15 government soldiers dead and 30 wounded over the past 24 hours, Ukraine’s defense minister said Saturday.
“In the last day, 15 soldiers died and 30 more were wounded. That is the figure for the whole frontline,” minister Stepan Poltorak told journalists.
The death toll is the highest one-day loss for Ukraine’s military since the signing in September of a nominal ceasefire deal that has collapsed totally in recent weeks.
Fighting is raging around the strategic Ukrainian-controlled transport hub of Debaltseve, some 50 kilometers (35 miles) north-east of the rebel stronghold of Donetsk.
Poltorak for the first time said that separatists forces had taken “partial” control of the key town, where rebels claimed previously to have surrounded thousands of Ukrainian troops.
The rebels on Friday said that they had taken the town of Vuglegirsk — some ten kilometers from Debaltseve — after Russian television footage showed heavy street fighting in the ravaged location.
Childhood friend of Putin to build bridge linking Crimea to Russia
Meanwhile, a company owned by a long-time friend of Russian President Vladimir Putin has won a contract to build a bridge connecting Russia to Crimea, the BBC reported Friday.
The contract, worth an estimated $3 billion, was awarded to Arkady Rotenberg’s SGM Group. Rotenberg is a childhood friend and former judo partner of Putin.
According to the report, the bridge will link Russia to the newly-annexed peninsula and will be SGM’s first bridge.
Russia’s transport ministry said in a statement that the bridge would be completed by the end of 2018.
(with AFP)