Fight continues in easter Ukraine despite truce

Fighting raged in eastern Ukraine on Thursday despite European efforts to resurrect a still-born ceasefire, a day after pro-Russian separatists who spurned the truce forced thousands of government troops out of a strategic town.
Western nations have refused to give up on a peace deal negotiated last week even though rebels disavowed it to seize the strategic railway hub of Debaltseve.
Thirteen Ukrainian servicemen were killed during Wednesday’s withdrawal from Debaltseve and the whereabouts of 82 others is unknown, the Defence Ministry said on Thursday. 
The ministry said in a statement that 157 soldiers had been wounded and 93 taken prisoner by the separatists besieging Debaltseve.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, speaking by telephone with Russia’s Vladimir Putin and the leaders of Germany and France, said the rebel seizure of the town of Debaltseve had been contrary to the ceasefire agreement they reached last week. His website said Poroshenko told them “not to pretend that what happened in Debaltseve was in line with the Minsk agreements.”
A top EU official says the 28-member bloc will provide armoured cars and satellite imagery to monitor a ceasefire in Ukraine but is undecided whether to commit troops to a proposed UN-mandated peacekeeping mission.
Maciej Popowski, deputy secretary general for External Action Service, said “there needs to be more clarity” on the proposal by Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko before the EU could decide on sending troops to Ukraine.
He spoke to reporters after a meeting of the EU’s defense ministers in Riga.
France’s Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said separately the OSCE would be sending some 400 ceasefire observers to Ukraine. The EU and Nato have urged the pro-Russia separatists to allow OSCE observes to monitor the shaky cease-fire deal.