Russia and Ukraine Talks Yield Little Progress on Ending Conflict

From left, presidents Vladimir Putin of Russia, Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus and Petro Poroshenko of Ukraine meet in Minsk on Tuesday. Agence France-Presse/Getty Images

Putin Promises Support but Focuses on Trade Issues in Peace Talks With Poroshenko

By Andrey Ostroukh in Minsk, Belarus, and, Alan Cullison in Moscow
Updated Aug. 26, 2014 7:31 p.m. ET, WSJ

Face-to-face talks between the Russian and Ukrainian presidents failed to produce a breakthrough for ending the conflict over eastern Ukraine, as Kiev released videos of captured Russian soldiers and rebels pushed toward a government-held city.

The one-on-one session, which Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko described as "tough and complex," ended early Wednesday after a day of talks on the crisis in the Belarusian capital of Minsk.

Mr. Poroshenko said afterward that he would prepare a "road map" toward a possible cease-fire with the pro-Russia separatists, according to a statement carried by news agencies.

Russia's President Vladimir Putin expressed support as well as apparent skepticism. "Russia will do everything possible for the peace process, if it begins," he told reporters separately, adding that it "should get started as soon as possible."

(More here.)