From our newsroom, based on BeITA and Reuters reports:
Belarus says it will host talks between Ukraine, Russia and the OSCE on the crisis in eastern Ukraine.
Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka's office said on July 30 that Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko in a telephone conversation on July 29 had asked him to host the talks focusing on securing access to the site where a Malaysian airliner was brought down in eastern Ukraine.
The fighting in eastern Ukraine prevented representatives of the OSCE security and rights organization from reaching the crash site on July 29 for the third successive day.
Poroshenko also wants the talks to discuss the release of hostages Kyiv says are being held by pro-Russian separatists in east Ukraine.
The talks' date remains unclear.
The talks are expected to involve Russia's ambassador to Kyiv, Mikhail Zurabov, and former Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma.
Our Ukrainian Service reports 19 dead, more than 30 injured in fighting in Donetsk region in the past day.
Another abortive attempt today by OSCE to reach the MH17 crash site.
(h/t: @BBCDanielS)
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko meeting yesterday in his Kyiv office with Ukrainian servicemen freed this week in Horlivka. They had been captured and jailed by pro-Russian militants. Their relatives were also at the presidential meeting.
