Ukraine peace drive hits first bump, but Moscow says `Normandy' summit possible | EurActiv - Oct. 10, 2019 |

Ukraine refused to pull back troops in its restive east, saying for the second time this week that continued shelling by pro-Russian separatists there precluded the implementation of a disengagement agreement.

Moscow, however, said the door was still open for a fresh meeting of the leaders of Russia, Ukraine, France, and Germany (the so-called Normandy Four) to discuss resolving the five-year-long conflict in the Donbass region, in which UN monitors say more than 13,000 people have been killed.

In a breakthrough this month, negotiators from Ukraine, Russia and the rebels agreed that Kyiv would grant the rebel region special status and hold local elections there. Under the agreement, rebel fighters and Ukrainian troops would also pull back from the line of contact.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's decision to support the peace plan previously rejected by Kyiv has triggered protests in Ukraine, with some opponents accusing him of capitulation. Zelenskiy has said he would "never betray Ukraine".