Ukraine to Seek 'Unconditional Ceasefire' During Talks:Petro Poroshenko

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said today that Kiev would seek a "ceasefire without any conditions" during the upcoming talks in Belarus's capital Minsk on the conflict in eastern Ukraine.

"We need an unconditional ceasefire without any prerequisites," Poroshenko told a government meeting ahead of the talks to be attended by Russian, French and German leaders later in the day.

He said that Ukraine and the European Union would speak "in one voice" during the summit, Xinhua news agency reported.

Emphasising that peace in the eastern regions is a key priority for Ukraine in the upcoming talks, Poroshenko said Kiev stood ready to defend Ukrainian territory and introduce martial law if the conflict escalated further.

"I, the government and the parliament are ready to take the decision to impose martial law across the Ukrainian territory," Poroshenko emphasised.

Earlier, the pro-independence insurgents in eastern Ukraine said that no ceasefire was possible without Kiev withdrawing its forces from the eastern regions.

Representatives from the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and independence-seeking insurgents in eastern Ukraine will also attend the Minsk talks.

The Minsk summit comes amid sharp escalation in fighting in Ukraine's restive east, with at least 38 people killed and over 100 wounded in the past 24 hours.