Few more details on the Minsk talks from our news desk:
Participants include Ukrainian former President Leonid Kuchma, Russia’s Ambassador to Kyiv Mikhail Zurabov, OSCE Special Representative Heidi Tagliavini, and four leaders of Ukraine's separatist Luhansk and Donetsk regions: Aleksandr Zakharchenko, Igor Plotnitsky, Aleksey Karyakin, and Andrei Purgin.
Earlier this week, Ukraine's parliament adopted legislation granting broader autonomy to rebel-held parts of the country’s east for a three-year period.
The new Minsk talks have started:
A new round of talks aimed at finding a lasting solution to the Ukraine crisis has started in the Belarusian capital, Minsk.
The so-called Contact Group includes representatives of Russia, Ukraine, pro-Russian separatists, and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).
Participants include Ukrainian former President Leonid Kuchma, the Russian Ambassador to Ukraine Mikhail Zurabov, and OSCE Special Representative Heidi Tagliavini.
Reports said Andrei Purgin, the self-styled deputy prime minister of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic, would take part.
The new talks come after Ukraine and separatists agreed to a cease-fire on September 5 as part of a "road map" to resolving five months of deadly conflict.
The fragile truce has largely held despite sporadic fighting.