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.”
RT is reporting one-on-one talks are taking place between Putin and Poroshenko
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.
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.
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.
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.