LATEST: Russia's UN Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said Poroshenko's proposal put into doubt Ukraine's resolve to fulfil the Minsk agreements.
Good morning, here's the latest from our news desk:
Ukraine has called for UN-mandated peacekeepers to enforce a shaky cease-fire deal in the country’s east.
At an emergency security meeting on February 18, President Petro Poroshenko said "the best format would be a police mission from the European Union."
Russian-backed separatists denounced the call for peacekeepers, saying their presence would "violate" the truce agreed in Minsk last week.
Ukraine made the call after Ukrainian troops withdrew from the strategic town of Debaltseve following intense fighting.
The rebel advance, which came in spite of the cease-fire, has been widely condemned.
Ukraine and the West have accused Russia of sending in troops and weapons to spearhead the assault on Debaltseve, which Moscow denies.
The White House said Russia has failed to live up to terms of the Minsk deal and is “at risk of greater costs” such as further sanctions.
This ends our live blogging for February 18. Be sure to check back tomorrow for our continuing coverage.
Washington accuses Moscow of exploiting the Ukraine cease-fire:
Washington has accused Moscow of cynically exploiting an internationally backed cease-fire deal for eastern Ukraine by supporting a fierce assault by pro-Russian separatists who seized the strategic town of Debaltseve.
The White House said on February 18 that Russia has failed to live up to terms of a new cease-fire deal reached in Minsk and is "at risk of greater costs," such as further sanctions.
The U.S. State Department said it did not consider the cease-fire "dead," but expressed concern about ongoing violence.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on February 18 urged Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to stop attacks by Russian troops and separatist fighters against Ukrainian government troops.
The statements follow the withdrawal of hundreds of exhausted government troops from Debaltseve, a strategic railway hub between the main separatist-controlled cities of Donetsk and Luhansk.
Separatist fighters on February 18 claimed total control of Debaltseve after Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko confirmed what he called "a planned and organized withdrawal."
Defense officials in Kyiv said a total of 2,459 Ukrainian soldiers left Debaltseve on February 18. (Reuters, AP, AFP, Interfax, TASS)