Our news desk now has a longer update on Poroshenko working on a cease-fire plan:
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko says he will work on an urgent cease-fire plan aimed at defusing the separatist conflict in the country's east following talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Poroshenko described his two hours of face-to-face talks with Putin on August 26 as "very tough and complex" but said all sides “without exception” had backed Kyiv's peace proposals.
He told reporters that a "road map will be prepared in order to achieve as soon as possible a cease-fire regime which absolutely must be bilateral in character."
For his part, Putin said the talks in Minsk had been positive but that any cease-fire plans were an internal matter for Kyiv and the rebels, saying "it's not our business, it's up to Ukraine itself." But he said Russia "will do everything to support this peace process if it starts."
The West accuses Russia of supplying the separatists with weapons. Moscow denies that.
According to the United Nations, more than 2,000 people have died since April in fighting between Ukrainian forces and pro-Russian separatists in the eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk.
Putin said he and Poroshenko had also agreed to hold talks on Russian gas supplies to Ukraine.
"We need to resume our energy dialogue, including about gas problems," Putin said. "Sincerely speaking, this is a difficult issue. It has reached a dead end, but we still need to talk about it."
Poroshenko said the energy talks, which would also involve the EU, are scheduled for September 6.
Putin said Russia, Ukraine, and the EU agreed to step up work to allay Moscow’s concerns over Ukraine's Association Agreement with the EU, reiterating that Russia would take protective measures if these concerns are not addressed.
Poroshenko said the two sides had also agreed to hold military consultations on border controls between members of both countries' general staff and border guard commands.
Kyiv has insisted that the only way to end the bloodshed and stabilize the region is by establishing effective border controls.
The Minsk talks came just hours after Ukraine's military said it had captured 10 Russian soldiers, disguised as separatists, who had crossed into Ukraine from Russia in armored vehicles.
Spokesman Andriy Lysenko said the Russian tank column was stopped after a battle against Ukrainian forces outside the town of Novoazovsk on the Sea of Azov, despite what he alleged was support from Russian artillery fired from across the border.
Lysenko said the 10 Russian paratroopers it captured in the battle were in Ukraine on a "special mission."
Ukraine's military released a video on August 26 showing the captured soldiers.
In the footage, a man who identifies himself as Corporal Ivan Milchakov from the 331st Parachute Regiment said they'd been told they would be going into Ukraine on a three-day mission but were not told their exact objectives.
Russian Defense Ministry officials admitted on August 26 that Russian soldiers had crossed into Ukrainian territory but said they had accidentally crossed an unmarked section of the border.
Meanwhile, the Associated Press quotes the Finnish Foreign Ministry as saying the United States and Russia held secret talks on the Ukraine crisis in Finland in June.
Ministry spokesman Vesa Hakkinen said the ministry helped organize the meeting but declined to give more information.
Earlier this month, Finnish President Sauli Niinisto met Putin and traveled to Ukraine for talks with Poroshenko. Niinisto's office said on August 26 that he was not involved in the secret talks.
Big news this morning, after last night's talks:
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko says he will work on an urgent cease-fire plan aimed at defusing the separatist conflict in the country's east following talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Minsk on August 26.
Poroshenko described his two hours of face-to-face talks with Putin as "tough and complex" but said all sides “without exception” had backed Kyiv's peace proposals.
Putin said the talks had been positive but that any cease-fire plans were an internal matter for Kyiv and the rebels, saying "it's not our business." But he said Russia "will do everything to support this peace process if it starts."
The West accuses Russia of supplying the separatists with weapons. Moscow denies that.
Putin said he and Poroshenko had agreed to hold talks on Russian gas supplies to Ukraine.
Poroshenko said the energy talks, which would involve the EU, are scheduled for September 6.
From Reuters:
'Men in green' raise suspicions of east Ukrainian villagers
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Unidentified, heavily-armed strangers with Russian accents have appeared in an eastern Ukrainian village, arousing residents' suspicions despite Moscow's denials that its troops have deliberately infiltrated the frontier.
More from our news desk on the talks:
Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka says Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko have begun direct one-on-one talks in Minsk about the crisis in eastern Ukraine.
A Kremlin spokesman and Ukraine’s presidential administration confirmed the talks were underway late on August 26.
Lukashenka announced the development after hosting four hours of multilateral talks in Minsk on August 26 that included Putin, Poroshenko, and European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton.
Lukashenka said those talks were not easy because the Russian and Ukrainian positions differed – sometimes fundamentally.
But he said Putin and Poroshenko agreed on the need for de-escalating the crisis in eastern Ukraine, where more than 2,000 people have been killed amid fighting between pro-Russian separatists and government forces.
More from our news desk on the Putin-Poroshenko talks:
Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenko says Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko have begun to meet in Minsk for direct one-on-one talks about the crisis in eastern Ukraine. Ukraine’s presidential administration confirmed the development on Twitter.
RT is reporting one-on-one talks are taking place between Putin and Poroshenko
BREAKING from our Minsk bureau:
Alyaksandr Lukashenka has just emerged alone from a common dinner at the Minsk summit to make the following statement:
“Unfortunately, the situation in Ukraine has deteriorated to such an extent that no agreements on a political level can bring about a solution.”