Efforts Underway For Cease Fire In Ukraine

With fighting escalating in eastern Ukraine, the leaders of Germany, France, Russia and Ukraine will meet Wednesday in Minsk, Belarus, to discuss an immediate cease fire between Russian-supported rebels and Ukrainian forces.  There had been a five-month truce in place before it was broken long ago. Russia has been supplying the rebel forces, and is said to have its own troops on the ground in the eastern region of Ukraine, parts of which the rebels have declared as separate "republics" allied with Russia.  The U.S. is now considering sending military aid to Ukraine to counter the Russian effort.

Up to now, Russia has shown no sign of cooperating with Ukraine and Europe in ending the uprising, despite a crumbling economy and economic sanctions imposed by the European Union and the U.S. Indeed, Russian autocrat Vladimir "Vlad the Invader" Putin has suggested the meeting next week may not occur unless, "we are able to agree on a number of the positions that we recently have been discussing intensely."