EU won't send armed force to Ukraine despite clashes

 

EU leaders have told Ukraine they are worried about ceasefire violations in the east of the country but will not send armed peacekeepers there.

"We can only talk about a civilian mission, not military," European Council President Donald Tusk told a news conference in Kiev.
Earlier Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko said the EU or the UN should deploy peacekeepers to eastern Ukraine.


Pro-Russian rebels have been bombarding a village near the city of Mariupol.
On Sunday tank and mortar rounds pounded the village - Shyrokyne - near government-held Mariupol, a vital port city.
Mr Tusk said the EU would send a civilian "assessment" mission to Kiev, to explore ways to further boost security assistance for Ukraine.
The heavily armed rebels have been fighting government forces for a year in Ukraine's Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
The West accuses Russia of arming the rebels and sending in regular soldiers. Moscow denies that, insisting that any Russians on the rebel side are volunteers.