Ukraine crisis: Poroshenko says peace deal in danger
Ukraine's president has warned that a deal to end the war in the east is in "great danger" after heavy fighting ahead of Saturday night's ceasefire. Petro Poroshenko also accused Russia of "significantly increasing" its offensive despite the peace agreement reached in Minsk on Thursday. Meanwhile, the US said it was very concerned by reports of heavy weapons coming across the border from Russia. Shelling was heard in the rebel-held city of Donetsk early on Saturday. Fierce battles are also said to be continuing around Debaltseve, a strategic government-held town between rebel-held areas. More than a dozen civilians are said to have died in shelling in eastern Ukraine on Friday. It is unclear who was behind the shelling but both the Ukrainian military and pro-Russian rebels in the eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions accuse each other of targeting residential areas. In New York, the UN Security Council will meet on Sunday in emergency session to discuss the implementation of the ceasefire deal. The presidents of France, Russia and Ukraine as well as the German chancellor - who together clinched the agreement in the Belarusian capital - are also expected to discuss the issue by phone over the weekend.
