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                  New Clashes in Eastern Ukraine Leave 12 Dead

   by VOA News

   At least 12 people have died in eastern Ukraine within the past day, in
   clashes between Ukrainian troops and pro-Russia separatists.

   Local officials said at least seven civilians were among the victims of
   Friday's violence, the latest in a month of clashes after a cease-fire
   ruptured at the beginning of the year.

   The latest battles have centered on the town of Debaltseve, a strategic
   rail junction connecting the regional centers of the separatist-held
   provinces of Luhansk and Donetsk.

   Shelling also took place in the city of Donetsk, injuring at least 23
   people.

   Talks in Belarus

   In search of a diplomatic solution to the nearly yearlong crisis,
   Belarus said it would host talks Friday in Minsk among representatives
   of the Ukrainian and Russian governments, as well as the Organization
   of Security and Cooperation in Europe.

   Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko on Thursday had called for urgent
   talks with the rebels to reach an "immediate cease-fire" and the
   withdrawal of heavy weapons from the front lines, as laid down in the
   cease-fire agreement signed last September in Minsk. It has been
   violated repeatedly.

   Russia's RIA Novosti news agency quoted the head of the rebels'
   self-declared Luhansk People's Republic as saying it and the
   neighboring rebel Donetsk People's Republic would send representatives
   to Friday's meeting.

   Russia complains of EU bias

   Also Thursday, European Union foreign ministers agreed to extend by six
   months existing sanctions imposed on Russian and Russian-backed
   separatist officials for their role in the conflict.

   During a meeting in Brussels, the ministers also agreed to come up with
   more names to add to a list of  people subject to an asset freeze and
   travel ban.

   Responding to the decision to extend sanctions, Russia's foreign
   ministry on Friday accused the EU of anti-Russian bias.

   "The one-sided reading by Brussels of what is happening in the conflict
   inside Ukraine deprives it of the right to act as an `impartial
   broker," the ministry said, according to French news agency AFP.

   Some information for this report was provided by AFP.
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   [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/new-clashes-in-ukraine-leave-12-dead/
   2620374.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/new-clashes-in-ukraine-leave-12-dead/2620374.html