Leaders to save Ukraine truce

The leaders of Ukraine, Germany, France and Russia yesterday pledged to try to save a tattered ceasefire in eastern Ukraine despite violations -- including the storming of a key town by pro-Russian rebels.

As the leaders condemned the fighting and urged both sides to observe the truce, there was strident opposition from the separatists and Moscow to a plea from Ukraine for international peacekeepers to enforce the ceasefire.

The Ukrainian army, meanwhile, said 90 troops had been captured and 82 were still missing after the rebels seized the strategic town of Debaltseve, in violation of the ceasefire which came into force after midnight Sunday.

The seizure of the town, a transport hub sandwiched between the rebel strongholds of Donetsk and Lugansk, sent government troops into retreat and has been the biggest violation of the ceasefire.

The insurgents claimed to have captured as many as 300 government soldiers.

One of the rebel leaders, Alexander Zakharchenko, alleged that 3,000 to 3,500 troops died in the assault, although such casualty counts on both sides are often greatly exaggerated for propaganda effect.

Kiev's defeat in Debaltseve, which has had many Ukrainians questioning the competence of their army leaders, prompted Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko to appeal late Wednesday for international peacekeepers to be deployed in the east.

Russia and the rebels immediately voiced fierce opposition to such a move, saying it would "destroy" the truce agreements struck in the Belarus capital Minsk.

The four leaders called for the implementation of the full package of measures agreed in Minsk, including a full ceasefire, withdrawal of heavy weapons and the release of prisoners, according to the French presidency.

A statement said foreign ministers from the four countries would speak later to define how the ceasefire was being implemented.

Poroshenko, however, stressed that the pull-back of heavy weapons from the frontline -- which did not begin on Tuesday as agreed -- could only happen once the ceasefire was deemed to be "comprehensive".

The EU and US have called the rebel assault of Debaltseve a "clear violation" of the truce aiming to quell Ukraine's 10-month-old conflict that has killed more than 5,600 people.

The West accuses Russia of sending troops, tanks and weapons to support the separatists with the aim of keeping Ukraine, an ex-Soviet republic, too destabilised to move closer towards the EU and Nato.

US President Barack Obama has also been mulling sending arms to Ukraine if the situation worsens.