Ukraine braces for peace talks as war continues in east

Lena Savchuk
Press TV, Kiev

A majority of people in the Ukrainian capital have pinned their hopes on the Wednesday peace talks in Minsk. They do not want war and hope that the negotiations bear positive results.

A lot is at stake. If the talks fail, the EU will impose tougher sanctions against the Kremlin to make it stop the alleged deployment of weapons and soldiers to eastern Ukraine. Meanwhile the U-S has said that it will arm Kiev to fight the battle in the east.

The Minsk peace talks look like the last desperate effort to stop the spiralling violence. There is, however, no guarantee that the diplomacy will succeed.

Russian president Vladimir Putin said that Russia won't stand the ultimatums. He has urged Kiev to talk with representatives of the self-proclaimed republics.

Political analysts believe the direct talks with pro-Russians would be a sign of their recognition by Kiev.

They also that Ukrainians may not accept the peace conditions even if the presidents sign the final document.

Experts say the failure of Minsk talks would be a diplomatic crisis and lead to a new wave of violence. If the participating parties could not resolve the conflict then who can?

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