Ukraine president accuses Russia over recent attacks

The fresh bloodshed is due to Moscow's supplying of pro-Russia forces in eastern Ukraine with powerful weapons, Poroshenko said on Saturday.
 
Two Ukrainian soldiers were killed and twenty others injured on Friday in clashes with pro-Russia forces.
 
"The Ukrainian-Russian border remains open to incoming military equipment and the ceasefire is being constantly violated by the gunmen," Poroshenko added, referring to a shaky Russian-brokered truce between the Ukrainian government and the pro-Russians which was signed on September 5.
 
Under the terms of the ceasefire, Ukraine and the pro-Russia forces had agreed to stop fighting across the eastern conflict zone from December 9, 2014.
 
However, the truce agreement has been frequently violated, with each side blaming the other for breaching the ceasefire.
 
Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart are expected to discuss the crisis in a meeting to be held in Astana, Kazakhstan, on January 15.
 
Ukraine’s mainly Russian-speaking regions of Donetsk and Luhansk in the east have witnessed deadly clashes between the pro-Russia forces and the Ukrainian army since Kiev launched military operations to silence the pro-Russia protests in mid-April 2014.
 
According to the latest figures released by the United Nations, more than 4,700 people have been killed in the fighting.
 
Kiev and its Western allies accuse Russia of having a hand in the chaotic situation in eastern Ukraine. Moscow categorically denies the allegation.