DEBALTSEVE (Ukraine): The leaders of France and Germany flew to Moscow on Friday in a last-ditch effort to negotiate a peace deal for Ukraine, but expectations of a breakthrough were low after gains on the battlefield by pro-Russia rebels.

Chancellor Angela Merkel and President Francois Hollande met Russia’s Vladimir Putin on Friday evening, a day after five hours of late-night talks with Ukrainian leader Petro Poroshenko.

In a sign of the tense atmosphere, the leaders went straight into the Kremlin for talks, without the usual diplomatic niceties of a welcoming handshake for the cameras.

Before arriving in Russia, Mr Hollande called the talks “the first step”, while Ms Merkel said it was unclear whether the meeting in Moscow would secure a ceasefire. Her spokesman said there “was no sign whatsoever” of a breakthrough so far.

An official from a major EU country, who declined to be identified, gave a gloomy prognosis, saying Mr Putin would have little reason to urge the rebels to back down while they were advancing.

“He does not appear to have any incentive to back down now. The separatists are in control and taking more territory. He can sit back and wait as the pressure steadily builds on Ukraine and its leaders,” the official said.

On the ground in eastern Ukraine, a brief truce was organised so that trapped civilians could reach safety from Debaltseve, a government-held railway hub nearly encircled by rebels who have made it the target of their advance.

Both sides sent convoys of buses, giving residents a choice to evacuate to government or rebel territory. The government buses left full; the rebel buses left mostly empty.

“The last two weeks were hell,” said Artem Nikishin, 31, boarding a bus to the government-held town of Slaviansk with his wife and two sons. “This is our property now,” he said, pointing to several bags and a parcel wrapped in a blanket.

The Franco-German peace effort is an attempt to restore a ceasefire to a conflict that has killed more than 5,000 people, before European leaders meet next week to discuss imposing new economic sanctions against Russia.

Previous sanctions, coupled with a decline in oil prices, have contributed to a sharp fall in the rouble but seem to have done nothing to deter Mr Putin from his support for the rebels in territory he has dubbed “New Russia”.

This week, Washington has begun openly hinting that it could arm Ukraine’s military. But its European allies have increasingly spoken out against such a move, arguing that it would only escalate the conflict while falling short of giving Ukraine the means to resist an onslaught backed by Moscow.

“Are we sure that we would be improving the situation for the people in Ukraine by delivering weapons? Are we really sure that Ukraine can win against the Russian military machine?” German Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen said at the start of a security conference in Munich.

Western countries accuse Mr Putin of sending funds, heavy weapons and troops to back pro-Russia separatists who launched an offensive in January, when a five-month-old truce finally collapsed. Moscow denies assisting the rebels.

Published in Dawn February 7th , 2015

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