the fighting that has gone on for the better part of five months here primarily in the regions of lugansk and in it's going to what we're being told is that kiev says that both leaders are on the same page the reaction from leaders here in the republics of the netsky and lugansk initially is the same statement that they have been given for quite some time and that is that they are willing to end the fighting they are willing to reach a diplomatic settlement but only if kiev stops with its shelling and if it shows that it really is committed to some kind of peace plan moving forward this announcement follows hot on the heels of a meeting earlier in the week between representatives from real guns going to meet scandal for eighty's in kiev in the belorussian capital of minutes going at that stage that meeting was the first time that the sides showed a direct commitment to push for a peace settlement that we were being told not to expect a major breakthrough and certainly there has been some kind of turnaround from these latest reports that do indicate that they might be a breakthrough in the

well the focus of kids' so-called anti terror operation is hero in the lugansk and in its regions but although the fighting has been concentrated here what we witnessing on the ground is anti government fighters slowly beginning to push back the ukrainian army from a previously held positions if you look at this map what you see in the striped orange areas are areas that the anti government forces controlled before they were forced out of those areas closer back to the regional capitals but the fighters then began to reclaim land and if you look at the area now in orange this is in their hands and they have managed to push the ukrainian military out of these areas over the past few days at least a dozen towns have been recaptured by the ukrainian a by the anti-government fighters and these you can see by the dots in the map what is now happening on the ground is that these fighters are closing in on the city of mario pole they have blocked all the entrances in and out of the city although at this stage we're not receiving any information that they plan to launch any kind of raid on ma

anti government forces from their bases when we traveled with the russian humanitarian convoy to lugansk we were forced to take an alternative route to avoid the fighting there is almost always a line of refugees at the border people from the embattled areas surrounding lugansk are among those seeking refuge from the fierce fighting which has overwhelmed their homes by the you're heading up on to. your flock. to jupiter studio to ship the ocean or a new way spots a new bomber subtle commission where years out of a little go again appears as good or more damage to hard to get used not on your bill up of all of. them you can do any of. twenty or so you had only the toddler says it took them several hours it is the case of how much a clash of various of the moon with. and for the op but i missed no one the book called family celebrate the birthday of one of the younger members the also good thing is that they have. finally found some kind of safety and it. was well we did it you did need. to do you know it is two words put it on one with both of the equivalent of i see. now how did she soun

forces from their bases people from the embattled areas surround in lugansk are among those seeking refuge from the fierce fighting which has overwhelmed their homes by the. good luck. to give it a stroke as. much a clash of weariness and within the confidence. for the op but a mission when the because family celebrate the birthday one of the younger members the also a good thing is that they have finally found some kind of safety and they will not . give me a good as it is to worth it at all mamma both of the equipment a lot of people i said thank you are all just little and how did people. get and draw used to love playing war like all boys of his age class number a lot but not anymore. andries shows me what he found in the back yard after another shelling these tiny lethal metal guards sprayed from so-called shot shows internationally banned kids large scale military operation here in eastern ukraine has lost almost five months so phone as more destruction of schools and the casualties rise people's pain feeds the endurance and many fear when the guns fall silent ukraine will not

carrying out a military operation to protect the population let's take a look at how it is shaping up or lugansk and don yes cretins which you can see here are the focus of walk here of course it's anti terror operation now anti-government forces used to control this territory but had to retreat closer to the regional capitals they now say that this area in orange is under their control and they're driving the army out in the past few days fighters managed to seize around a dozen towns the ukrainian army is surrounded in several locations as you can see here as well now the latest incident in the latest is in the hundreds of soldiers were encircled but are allowed to leave for humanitarian corridors right now and the government forces are closing in on the port city of mariupol which they down here you can see they say that they've blocked all the roads leading in and out of the city however no offensive has been planned maria for national reports on what the civilian population endured during care of the assault what many feared could happen is happening the constant bombardment of the guns has

antigovernment leaders in the nets and lugansk regions have said that their position on establishing ties with kiev and the conditions that need to be met so you can get the details on that at r.t. dot com. i could fighters in iraq are reclaiming key territory from islamic state extremists in the northwest of iraq aided by u.s. airstrikes and volunteer fighters they've managed to seize a militant stronghold killing two senior radicals in the offensive meanwhile the jihadist terror threat has sent shock waves through the western world sparking a heated debate over how europe and the u.s. should deal with the islamic state parties myrna coursera looks at some of the proposals. admit they're up against an abstract threats from international fighters join an islamic state it's more important than ever to find a common solution i don't want to put the cart before the horse we don't have a strategy yet there is no point in me asking for. action on the part of congress before i know exactly what it is that is going to be required for us to get the job done. america might not know what to do

ukraine and what could become a road map for peace the antigovernment leaders in the donetsk and lugansk regions have said their stance on the stumbling ties with kiev and the conditions that need to be met but there are still major obstacles ahead representatives of the self-proclaimed donetsk people's republic has already refused a proposal from both sides to stop using heavy artillery and warplanes in the conflict talks were held in minsk on sunday here's paula sleep with more on what was discussed. representatives of the donates going to guns with publics have been meeting with representatives of the king of authorities in the belorussian capital this is the first time that they has been such a concerted effort to reach some kind of negotiated settlement between the two sides but we are being told not to expect a major breakthrough and certainly not expected any time soon what this really is is an opportunity if you like for the two sides to size one another up and see in what areas they can cooperate now the team from new guns candidates put forward several demands some of these inc

clashes are also intensifying around lugansk kiev's goal is to surround the city and cut off the end to government forces from their bases when we traveled with the russian humanitarian convoy to lugansk we were forced to take an alternative route to avoid the fighting there is almost always a line of refugees at the border people from the embattled areas surrounding the ganske are among those seeking refuge from the fierce fighting which has overwhelmed their homes by the offending not done to. flock. to educate history oakeshott overshoes new way sponsor new bombers up to local news your years out of a little coworker gave you give norma a hard to get used to not only in their build up of our school papers you up will miss you when you look at them you can go in your darkest of the just go. honestly hearing in the darkness as it took them several hours it is scary and as much a clash of weariness of the mood of the concert in a strange law doesn't mean for the op but i missional when the but of course family celebrate the birthday of one of the younger members the also good thing i

poroshenko and kiev have realized that the game is up they lost as we know the airport that after lugansk the ukrainian army has suffered heavy losses we don't have accurate figures but i'm expect you at r.t. probably have better information on this than i do but the figures are are high there are in the high hundreds if not thousands of ukrainian soldiers killed and it could simply be that he has run up a white flag in the face of the inevitable in a sense that is my hope because if indeed he realizes that he cannot win militarily his declaration from the very moment of his election was that he would settle this militarily. if he has now realized that that is not working then that could indeed . be grounds for optimism but as i say you know there was a there was a ceasefire already in june that lasted a week we have to see how the facts on the ground evolve before we allow ourselves to get too excited sure ok thanks john thank you very much for your analysis on that that was john laughland who's written extensively on international affairs where the violence in the east of the country ha

ukraine and the government forces are close to gaining control over the year ports in the donetsk and lugansk regions fighting continues in both locations and a fire has reportedly broke a night in the mean building of the net or port or at least one civilian has died in lugansk opposition fighters claim to have destroyed several military vehicles on fortifications in an effort to seize the strategic location and they say that several soldiers have been killed in a shoot out here officials say almost eight hundred government troops have died since the start of the military operation in the east on more than two and a half thousand have been injured but the authorities are being accused of a cover up and to government forces say up to fourteen thousand military personnel have been killed or wounded nothing casualty numbers are being deliberately on reported. in the last few days alone hundreds of government troops have reportedly been killed or taken prisoner in the ton of elo vyse in the jeanette's region their entire battalions find themselves surrounded during a country offensive by anti-go

during kiev's assault what many feared could happen each happening in the constant bombardment of lugansk has destroyed buildings empty street and populated basements. every time we visit we find more people sheltering underground a cold and humid room three meters down is the only place these people feel safe. thank you ladies like you or that you even heard from back when your fellow anything like it is the only one that was likely to. follow you here in the early morning needless. to say the least. this is a soviet era bomb shelter builds during the cold war but until now it hadn't been used. the accountability. clashes are also intensifying around lugansk kiev's goal is to surround the city and cut off the anti-government forces from their bases people from the embattled areas surrounding the guns are among those seeking refuge from the fierce fighting which has overwhelmed their homes by the affair not done to. make a summer to jupiter studio to ship the ocean or. obviously a movie to the concert miss wayne la diving for the up on a mission when the but of course family celebrate the

well as you say representatives of the donetsk and lugansk republics have been meeting with representatives of the king of authorities in the bell of russian capital this is the first time that they has been such a concerted effort to reach some kind of negotiated settlement between the two sides but we are being told not to expect a major breakthrough and certainly not expected any time soon what this really is is an opportunity if you like for the two sides to size one another up and see in what areas they can cooperate now the team from new guns candidates put forward several demands some of these include ending the military operation that is a direct call to the kiev government there also asking for special economic and political status for the lugansk and in its regions and at the same time for the russian language to be granted official status of course this is the dominant language in this part of ukraine in return they are offering to begin the process of restoring ties with kiev they looking at he creation of a shared security area and also for economic cultural political and socia

ukraine and what could become a road map for peace the antigovernment leaders in the donetsk and lugansk regions have said arthur stance of the style mission ties with kiev and the conditions that need to be met there is a little bit of trouble still to head representatives of the self-proclaimed annette's people's republic see kiev has already refused their proposal for both sides to stop using heavy artillery and warplanes in the conflict talks were held in minsk on sunday here's paula sleeper with more in what was discussed. representatives of the donetsk going to ganske republics have been meeting with representatives of the king of authorities in the belorussian capital this is the first time that they has been such a concerted effort to reach some kind of negotiated settlement between the two sides but we are being told not to expect a major breakthrough and certainly not expected any time soon what this really is is an opportunity if you like for the two sides to size one another up and see in what areas they can cooperate now the team from new guns candidates put forward several

ukraine and what could become a road map for peace the antigovernment leaders in the donetsk and luganskregions have said i'd their stance on establishing ties with kiev and the conditions that need to be minute but there are still major obstacles and representatives of the self-proclaimed donetsk people's republic say kiev has already refused their proposal for both sides to stop using heavy artillery and warplanes in the conflict talks were held in minsk on sunday here's paula sleeker with more on what was discussed. representatives of the donetsk going to gun school publics have been meeting with representatives of the king of authorities in the belorussian capital this is the first time that they has been such a concerted effort to reach some kind of negotiated settlement between the two sides but we are being told not to expect a major breakthrough and certainly not expected any time soon what this really is is an opportunity if you like for the two sides to size one another up and see in what areas they can cooperate now the team from new guns candidates put forward several demands

clashes are also intensifying around lugansk kiev's goal is to surround the city and cut off the end to government forces from their bases people from the embattled areas surrounding the ganske are among those seeking refuge from the fierce fighting which has overwhelmed their homes by the offending up on the. grounds good luck. did you get a studio to ship the ocean or just an arsenal last march accession of radius of the moon within the confidence wayne la doesn't need for thought that a mission or when the but of course family celebrate the birthday of one of the younger members the also good thing is that they have finally found some kind of safety that will not cheat was look forward year like you did me good at studio it is two words put it on one with both of the liquid in the water or i see that you are all just little and how did she sound. enough to shake you andree used to love playing war like old boys of his age questionable a lot but not anymore. andrey shows me what he found in their back yard after another shelling these tiny little metal guards are sprayed from so-ca

the belorussian capital of minutes that was a meeting that was attended by representatives of the lugansk in donetsk republics as well as representatives of the kiev authorities and that was the first time that we saw a direct push from the two sides to try and reach a a permanent negotiated settlement what is interesting is at that time we were told not to expect a major breakthrough so that is why there is some surprise here on the ground that a major breakthrough essentially has been announced but again let me say emphasize that the the statement was first released by the kiev authorities there is still fighting on the ground so while you have this statement released on the one hand it still is going to take some time for it to filter down to the fighters on the ground there have been according to the ukrainian forces some twenty attacks by anti-government fighters on member overnight and in the early hours of the smalling and then according to the anti-government fighters the ukrainian military has not let up with it shelling at this stage we are monitoring shelling on the outskirts o

for the two sides to size one another up and see in what areas they can cooperate now the team from lugansk and donetsk put forward several demands some of these include ending the military operation that is a direct call to the kiev government there also asking for special economic and political status for the lugansk and in its cretins and at the same time for the russian language to be granted official status of course this is the dominant language in this part of ukraine in return they are offering to begin the process of restoring ties with kiev they looking at he creation of a shared security area and also for economic cultural political and social cop aeration now these talks come as fighting on the ground intensifies one of the flashpoints here in the past few days has been the town of ill advised square the ukrainian army was surrounded by anti-government fighters it was forced to surrender and lay down its weapons we traveled to the front line. the sound of victory after a week of did these battles is back in the hands of the anti government fighters ill of our skins now completel

in the minutes that meeting was the first time that there was a direct push between leaders of the lugansk in donetsk republic and be careful far as he's to try and reach some kind of negotiated settlement but at that stage we were being warned not to expect a breakthrough however it does seem as if a breakthrough has happened it comes as fighting on the ground until now has been intensifying the anti-government fighters have been winning back positions that were previously held by the ukrainian army no doubt it will take some time for this news to full to down to the battleground where we have been updated until a few moments ago that fighting is still on the go. paula thank you very much our team's paula slayer there reporting on this developing story on the ground and even crane it is a breaking story of course here nazi international a cease fire has been announced in the east of ukraine to talk more on this i'm now joined by political analyst alexander i thank you very much for joining us live and to talk about this developing this breaking story here on international why he's ukraine

ukraine and what could become a road map for peace the antigovernment leaders in the donetsk and lugansk regions have said arthur stance on establishing ties with kiev and the conditions that need to be knit but there are still major obstacles ahead representatives of the self-proclaimed donetsk people's republic say kiev has already refused a proposal from both sides to stop using heavy artillery and warplanes in the conflict talks were held in minsk on sunday paula sleeker with more on what was discussed. representatives of the donetsk going to ganske republics have been meeting with representatives of the king of authorities in the belorussian capital this is the first time that they has been such a concerted effort to reach some kind of negotiated settlement between the two sides but we are being told not to expect a major breakthrough and so he not expected any time soon what this really is is an opportunity if you like for the two sides to size one another up and see in what areas they can cooperate now the team from new guns candidates put forward several demands some of these inc

out a military operation to protect the population here's how the fighting has been unfolding now lugansk and don yes regions you can see here are the focus of what here of course is anti terror operation m t government forces used to control this territory but army troops forced them closer to the regional capital fighters now say this area in orange is what is under their control driving the army out in the past few days they managed to seize around a dozen towns you couldn't your ukrainian army meanwhile is surrounded in several locations as you can see here in the latest incident hundreds of soldiers were encircled but were allowed to leave through humanitarian corridors right now and the government forces are closing in on the port city of mariupol down here they say that they've blocked all the roads leading in and out of that city however no offensive has been planned for national reports on what the civilian population is going through the assault what many feared could happen is happening the constant bombardment of the guns has destroyed buildings and street and populated baseme

no they're not asking for independence as you say representatives of the lugansk and in its region are meeting with the ukrainian authorities and watchmen in with what many see as possibly the first step in what could be a long term process for a longstanding peace deal now they do recognize ukraine's sovereignty there is no intention to see this country fall apart but rather keep it intact and they have put forward a list of demands these include an end to the ukrainian army's military operation that has been on the go for the better part of hoffer year they want to see their fighters and political prisoners receive amnesty they want official status for the russian language and if you remember it was exactly the opposite of this that caused people to go to the streets in the first place they're also asking for special territorial status they want special economic status which essentially means closer cooperation with russia and they're also asking for special military status which essentially means recognition for the fight has this list of demands comes as the anti-government fighter

they wanted certain conditions to be met not least of all was greater autonomy for the regions of lugansk and admits on friday they will be a nother round of talks here on the ground the vice president of the donetsk republic has said that the dumbass leaders haven't been informed about any kind of cease fire and i've been gauging the reaction of people on the ground and most of very suspicious about what kiev is saying many telling me that they feel that primarily because the anti-government fighters have been making advances in recent days they believe that this might be an attempt by parallel and the kiev government to try and disarm them to give them some kind of false promises so that the fighters lay down weapons and then the ukrainian army pushes forward the ukrainian army has been suffering loss after loss in recent days many people here also saying that might be using this as a testing ground if you will that the reality at the end of the day is that you still have the ukrainian army inside eastern ukraine it is still shelling. residential areas and various cities and until that

clashes are also intensifying around lugansk kiev goal is to surround the city and cut off the anti-government forces from their bases people from the embattled areas surrounding the guns are among those seeking refuge from the fierce fighting which has overwhelmed their homes by the you're heading up on the. block. did you get a studio to ship the ocean or just russians last march a clash of radius of the moon within the confidence when. and for thought that a missional when the because family celebrate the birthday of one of the younger members the also good thing is that they have finally found some kind of safety and it will not. give me a good a stereo it is too worth putting it on one with both of the equipment a lot of people i said thank you out of this little how did she sound. in a letter she can't andree used to love playing war like old boys of his age questionable a lot but not anymore. andry shows me what he found in their back yard after another shelling these tiny and lethal metal guards are sprayed from so-called flechette shells which are internationally banned gives large sc

especially in the last three weeks or so and in the last couple of days we the fall of the airport in lugansk and now dawn yet you know then then public pressure increases very much because lives are being lost destruction is being solved. the economy ukraine's economy is on life support and on top of all that you are doing badly in on the ground the militarily so of course there is great public pressure on mr poroshenko as well there's another line of thought perhaps he said he may still give himself and his forces a chance to regroup considering the losses they have experienced over the last week and say absolutely that is almost a must for them now but on the other hand we can see that there are forces in kiev the really radical forces who are not even interested in that today we had the key have foreign minister yet saying you. may be a couple of hours after the announcement from mr porter shank was office who came out and. openly called russia terrorist state and that ukraine was going to seek nato membership and that they were going to build the wall. between ukraine and russia so the t

ukraine speak they also want special status for nova rosia which is the new name given off to the lugansk and the regions joined they want to closer ties with russia on an economic scale and they also want recognition for armed fighters now these demands come as the government fighters push forward with their offensive they're managing to push back the ukrainian military from several of the previously held positions or one of the flashpoints still fighting at the moment is the town of in a vise where the ukrainian military has been surrounded and forced to lay down their weapons. oh it was. the sound of victory after a week of did the battles is back in the hands of the anti government fighters ill advised because now completely under our control there will be no mercy i will never forgive them for destroying our cities. the smell of death still hangs over the battlefield. two bodies one is burnt in the other one of sorts of pieces there were of them on the field nobody is asking for them the spoils of victory made it out we put down their weapons but before they did they resist the stron

to make of it there are a lot of questions being asked and we are hearing from the leaders of the lugansk and in that square publics that they have not been consulted about any kind of ceasefire agreement so that at this stage they're not taking it seriously although they have said that they are willing to reach a political settlement with the kiev government but only if kiev gives assurances and evidence that it really is serious about stopping its military operation here in eastern ukraine they was earlier and now the cease fire that was put forward by kiev but that was later violated people on the ground also saying that this might be an attempt by the ukrainian president petro poroshenko to simply buy time and to assess the feeling on the ground now there are talks that are scheduled to take place on friday at this stage what we do know is that for these talks to happen they will need to be a lot more work done because the talks as they stand is more differences than they are similarities. yes we had the kiev government that really wants to remain in power and wants to return to how t

parliament passed a bill a couple weeks ago limited autonomy for these eastern regions during the donetsk luganskelude to the dissolution of part of ukraine? >> that's what russia wants. to get another frozen conflict in europe. we are not allowed to legitimize this frozen conflict. >> warner: but if we look ahead, is that the first step to essentially unsettling that whole part of ukraine, making it impossible for you to have a unified state that would be attractive say to the e.u.? >> well, this is the russian target. this is the russian aim. our aim is to deescalate the situation, to empower this regions with additional authority. but to have these regions as an integral part of ukraine, not an easy job, but doable. >> warner: so as a student of ukrainian history and russian history, what do you think it will take for ukraine to be able to stand up to the russian bear? >> usually, in my childhood, my mom told me a number of fairy tales and the bear is a very good animal in ukrainian fairy tales, but in reality it's better to have bear somewhere in the zoo. >> warner: to have them in a zoo. mr.