German FM invites Ukraine, Russia on new round of negotiations

Germany’s Foreign Minister has called for a four-side meeting, alongside Ukraine, Russia and France, to discuss upheaval in violence between pro-Russian separatists and Ukrainian forces over the past two days in eastern Ukraine.
The meeting, scheduled on Wednesday, will be held at the request of both the foreign ministers of Russia and Ukraine, Frank-Walter Steinmeier told reporters.
It will aim to limit the escalation of military action, thus preventing any diplomatic tensions between Kiev and Moscow, he explained.
His comments were made after the Ukrainian government had announced it would be sending 50,000-troop reinforcements to the east, a decision which has been fiercely criticized by officials in Moscow.
The German foreign minister went on to describe the scale of the recent clashes and the situation in eastern Ukraine as dangerous, and deserving further diplomatic and political efforts aimed at their easing.
This upheaval can be resolved through a balance between these tools and through other means, he said, in reference to Western-imposed sanctions on Russia.