Ukraine peace talks collapse over ceasefire as fighting rages - AFP
Ukraine peace talks die after 4 hours; fighting continues Sunday February 1 st , 2015 at 2:09 AM 1 Share By Andrei Makhovsky & Richard Balmforth REUTERS • Saturday January 31, 2015 10:12 PM MINSK, Belarus — Peace talks over Ukraine collapsed on Saturday after just more than four hours with no tangible progress toward a new cease-fire but with Ukraine’s representative and separatist envoys angrily accusing each other of sabotaging the meeting. Ukraine’s representative, former President Leonid Kuchma, left the talks in Minsk, Belarus, telling the Interfax news agency that separatist officials had undermined the meeting by making ultimatums and refusing “to discuss a plan of measures for a quick cease-fire and a pull-back of heavy weapons.” Denis Pushilin, one of the separatist officials, told the Russian news agency RIA that they were ready for dialogue “but not ready for ultimatums from Kiev while shelling by their forces is goi