Mortar Attacks Before Ukraine Peace Talks

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Four people have been killed in mortar attacks on a bus station and a metals plant in the rebel-held Ukrainian city of Donetsk, as peace talks were due to begin in Belarus.

"A bus driver died as a result of mortar fire at a bus station in the centre of Donetsk," a spokesman for the pro-Russian separatists told AFP.

An employee of the metals plant said three people including two guards had lost their lives during an attack on the smelter.

Elsewhere, 19 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed and 78 wounded in rebel attacks near the key railway town of Debaltseve, a military spokesman said.

In a statement on his website, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko revealed he made an impromptu visit to the war-torn eastern region early on Wednesday.

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Gallery: Ukraine Crisis: Fighting Intensifies

A destroyed Ukrainian Army tank outside Uglegorsk, 6km (4m) southwest of Debaltseve

Pro-Russian separatists' ammunition and an armoured vehicle in Uglegorsk. The EU has put fresh sanctions against Moscow on hold ahead of further talks to thrash out a lasting peace deal

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A pro-Russian separatist fighter. President Barack Obama said the United States had no desire to "weaken" Russia, but the West had to impose a penalty for Moscow's aggression in Ukraine

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Part of a Ukrainian Army tank destroyed in fighting

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Pro-Russian separatist fighters ride on the top of an armoured vehicle

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He stopped in the city of Kramatorsk, some 50km (30m) from the front line, where Kiev says 16 people were killed and 48 wounded in a rocket strike on Tuesday.

"We demand an unconditional peace," Mr Poroshenko said. "We demand a cease-fire, a withdrawal of all foreign troops, and closing of the border... We will find a compromise within the country."

In a telephone call on the eve of the talks, President Barack Obama urged his Russian counterpart to reach a deal to end the Ukraine conflict, which has cost more than 5,300 lives since April.

The White House said afterwards Mr Obama warned Vladimir Putin the "costs for Russia will rise" if a peaceful solution is not found.

"If Russia continues its aggressive actions in Ukraine, including by sending troops, weapons, and financing to support the separatists, the costs for Russia will rise," a statement said.

The Kremlin said the two leaders highlighted the need for a political solution to the "internal" conflict in Ukraine, and noted the importance of safeguarding the rights of all inhabitants, including Russian-speakers in the east.

The summit in the Belarus capital follows last week's discussions between Mr Putin and Mr Poroshenko, led by Germany and France.

Mr Putin is scheduled to meet Mr Poroshenko and the leaders of France and Germany, who have called on the warring parties to refrain from hostilities that could derail the peace initiative.

Today's talks are expected to focus on withdrawing heavy weapons, creating a demilitarised zone in eastern Ukraine and starting a dialogue between Kiev and the rebels.

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said on Monday "quite a number of problems remain" and the aim was to find a genuine accord, "not just one on paper".

Mr Obama has come under increasing pressure to provide military aid to Ukraine amid claims Russia has been arming the rebels with heavy weaponry - claims denied by Moscow.

After meeting German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Washington on Monday, Mr Obama said he had ordered his team to see "whether there are additional things we can do to help Ukraine bolster its defences in the face of Russian aggression".

Britain has said it will keep its decision not to arm Ukraine under review as it "could not allow" its armed forces to "collapse".

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Malu Rasanya