NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen urged Moscow this week "to create conditions for the implementation of the peace plan, to end its support for separatist troops, and to stop the flow of weapons and fighters across its border.". Putin has agreed to negotiations that will include an EU representative, Poroshenko said.

"I am optimistic and I'm thinking that within a few weeks, maybe months, we can have a deal to establish peace," Poroshenko said.

Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Friday called for Ukraine to carry out promised constitutional reforms and said Russia should be involved in consultations to safeguard the interests of Russian speakers in southeast Ukraine. An EU summit to create closer ties with ex-Soviet states has been overshadowed by the collapse of a deal with Ukraine. He used the same pen intended for use in November before Yanukovych turned his back on the agreement in favor of Moscow.

And he paid tribute, on what he described as a "great day" in the nation's history, to Ukrainians who lost their lives when protests over closer ties with Europe turned bloody. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko signed an Association Agreement with the European Union on Friday, the same deal that triggered mass upheaval. ", Poroshenko said that Ukraine had seen 18 soldiers killed and 33 injured in the past week, while the separatists had shown "no negotiation, no sign of compromise.". "We stand for the complete termination of bloodshed on the whole territory of Ukraine, including along our borders," he said, adding that Russia is doing its best to contribute to the peace process. We and our partners will store and/or access information on your device through the use of cookies and similar technologies, to display personalised ads and content, for ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. Ukrainian businessman and politician Petro Poroshenko tells HARDtalk Ukrainians are "united" in their support of European integration. Van Rompuy said that closer political and economic ties would bring greater security, stability and prosperity to Ukraine and the two other former Soviet states also each signing an EU Association Agreement on Friday, Georgia and Moldova. In fact, there have been plenty of examples of violence since the original cease-fire was declared.

At the same time, the Ukrainian government says it still reserves the right to use force in any areas where the cease-fire is not being universally accepted. For that reason, diplomats expect a deal, even if some governments - especially Ukraine’s close allies in eastern Europe - are concerned and irritated by the Dutch demands.

That means that, by late Monday night, the Kiev government expects that all hostages will be released, all international border checkpoints will be taken out of separatists' hands and the militants' recruiting offices in Russia will close down.