Ukrainian President Poroshenko to attend EU summit Thursday
Petro Poroshenko - Photo EU Council
(BRUSSELS) - Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko will attend an EU summit in Brussels on Thursday to discuss the war in his country, EU President Donald Tusk said Wednesday.
Poroshenko will "brief us on the developments in Ukraine", Tusk said in a letter inviting heads of state to Thursday's meeting.
The Ukrainian president was expected to report back on peace talks taking place Wednesday in the Belarussian capital Minsk with the leaders of France, Germany and Russia.
The four-way summit is billed as a chance to halt an upsurge in fighting between heavily armed pro-Russian separatists and Ukrainian forces.
The United States and European Union have slapped punishing economic sanctions on Russia in response for Moscow's alleged backing for the rebels in Ukraine. The Kremlin denies direct involvement in the war, despite numerous independent sightings of high-tech weaponry and supplies coming into separatist-held territory from the direction of the Russian border.
Tusk said that after hearing Poroshenko, EU leaders will "discuss the situation in Ukraine and relations with Russia. We will assess the situation and consider any appropriate action."
Informal meeting of heads of state and government, 12/02/2015