Ukraine accuses Russia of sending troops
Hopes any progress toward peace was made from the meeting between Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and Russian President Vladimir Putin disappeared when the Ukrainian military accused Russia of sending troops into Ukrainian territory for the second time in a week.
Reuters reports the soldiers are said to have entered the country in armored personnel carriers and trucks near the town of Amvrosiyivka. The location of this incursion was not far from where Ukraine claimed to have captured 10 Russian soldiers before the talks between Putin and Poroshenko in Minsk, Belarus.
In other battlefield developments, fierce fighting near the towns of Horlivka and Ilovaysk took its toll on both pro-Russian and Ukrainian forces. Reuters reports that 200 separatists and 13 Ukrainian soldiers were killed in the last 24 hours. A number of tanks and missile systems were destroyed and 36 Ukrainian troops were wounded.
Western powers such as the United States and European Union have placed economic sanctions on Russia as a punishment for what they perceive to be meddling in Ukraine's internal affairs. The West has also promised harsher sanctions if more direct Russian involvement comes to light.
The talks in Belarus were amicable, but not totally productive. Both presidents shook hands with each other and made statements in support of the peace process, but no concrete details emerged from the meeting.
The New York Times reports that Poroshenko and Putin met privately in late night meetings, away from the rest of the nations and delegates present at the regional summit. This intimacy did not lead to any concrete gains, but the President of Belarus Aleksandr G. Lukashenko said that negotiations between lower level officials would continue Wednesday, Aug. 27.
A major point of contention in the negotiation is Ukraine's insistence that Russia admit to and stop its support of rebel forces, while Russia continues to adamantly deny any involvement.
