Peace talks on Ukraine collapsed Saturday after just over four hours with no tangible progress toward a new cease-fire but with Ukraine's representative and separatist envoys angrily accusing each other of sabotaging the meeting.
Ukraine's representative, former President Leonid Kuchma, left the talks in Belarusian capital of Minsk, telling Interfax news agency that separatist officials had undermined the meeting by making ultimatums and refusing "to discuss a plan of measures for a quick cease-fire and a pullback of heavy weapons."
Denis Pushilin, one of the separatist officials, told the Russian news agency RIA that they were ready for dialogue "but not ready for ultimatums from Kiev while shelling by their forces is going on in the background of towns in the Donbass (industrialized eastern Ukraine)."