Efforts to broker a peace deal in Ukraine gained momentum yesterday with the leaders of Germany, France, Russia and Ukraine announcing plans for four-way talks in Minsk this Wednesday.

The planned meeting in the Belarussian capital emerged from a phone call between German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Francois Hollande, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko.

They intend to draw up a package of measures to revive the peace plan agreed in September.
Preparations for the summit will take place today in Berlin with talks between senior diplomats from the four countries.

Mr Poroshenko raised the possibility that Wednesday could prove to be a breakthrough after months of futile diplomacy.

“They expect that their efforts during the Minsk meeting will lead to the swift and unconditional cessation of fire by both sides,” his office said in a statement.

However, Mr Putin cautioned that the summit might not happen.

“We will be aiming for Wednesday if we are able by that time to agree on a number of the positions that we have recently been discussing intensely,” he said in Sochi during a meeting with Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Russia expected “important decisions” to be taken in Minsk.

Although details of the leaders’ proposals have not been revealed, comments over the past several days have indicated possible key sticking points. One is how any peace deal would be enforced.

Mr Poroshenko expressed opposition in Munich to any peacekeeping force, reflecting his concern that sending Russian peacekeeping troops into eastern Ukraine could bring about a de facto occupation.

The status of the eastern regions of Donetsk and Lugansk remains contentious.

In Kiev, parliament passed a law last year proposing “significant autonomy,” but the self-proclaimed people’s republics dismissed it as vague and meaningless.

Russia backs the “federalisation” of Ukraine, but Kiev opposes this solution.

September’s Minsk agreement foresaw each side pulling back heavy weapons 9.32 miles from the lines of engagement.

However, the anti-fascist resistance has liberated more territory since then, implying that a new buffer zone might have to be mapped.