Alwaght- Recent clashes between US-backed Ukrainian troops and pro-Russia forces led to the death of nearly 60 Ukrainian soldiers, as stated by the deputy commander of the self-proclaimed Donetsk Republic's forces.
“Ukrainian forces have lost 57 troops, five tanks, eleven armored infantry vehicles, and 12 artillery pieces and mortars over the past 24 hours,” said Eduard Basurin in a news briefing on Sunday.
Basurin added that the pro-Russia forces also captured two large ammunition depots for Grad launchers and tube artillery.
The commander said that the pro-Russia forces opened fire on Ukrainian soldiers early on Sunday morning to halt their potential breakthrough from the Donetsk town of Artyomovsk to deliver supplies to other troops surrounded in the nearby city of Debaltseve.
Furthermore, the deputy commander said three civilians have been killed in residential areas in Donetsk and another person in Yasynuvata, both cities controlled by the self-proclaimed Donetsk Republic. In addition, 38 civilians were wounded.
The continued fighting and climbing casualty figures came as peace talks collapsed a day earlier.
On January 31, Ukraine’s representative, former President Leonid Kuchma, left the talks just hours after they began, telling reporters that pro-Russia officials had destabilized the negotiations by making ultimatums and refusing “to discuss a plan of measures for a quick ceasefire and a pull-back of heavy weapons.”
However, a representative of the pro-Russia forces, Denis Pushilin, told reporters they were prepared for negotiations, “but not ready for ultimatums from Kiev while shelling by their forces is going on in the background of towns in the Donbass (industrialized Eastern Ukraine).”
On September 5 last year, peace talks were held in the Belarusian capital, Minsk, which led to a 12-point peace plan - the Minsk Protocol - between Kiev and pro-Russia fighters.
However, the truce has been violated almost daily by both the US-backed Ukrainian military and the pro-Russia forces.
More than 5,000 people have so far been killed and nearly 1.2 million have been displaced since April 2014, after Ukraine’s Crimea voted in a referendum to re-join Russia.
US-backed Ukrainian troops and pro-Russian forces in Eastern Ukraine are struggling for the control of the strategic government-held town of Debaltseve.
US and its allies accuse Russia of sending thousands of troops to support the pro-Russian forces.
Moscow, however, has denied any involvement in fighting over the territory.
US mulls sending weapons to Ukraine
US Secretary of State John Kerry and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Martin Dempsey were open to discuss sending lethal weapons to Ukraine due to the recent clashes.
NATO military commander General Philip Breedlove also supported providing such lethal assistance to the country.
“A comprehensive approach is warranted, and we agree that defensive equipment and weapons should be part of that discussion,” a Pentagon official said.
According to the report, eight former senior American officials would issue an independent report later on, and they would urge Washington to send $3 billion in weapons to Ukraine.
Anti-armor missiles and reconnaissance drones would be included in the aid.
To discuss the plan with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and other officials, Kerry will visit Kiev on Thursday.
Gorbachev: US Dragging Russia into New Cold War
The former Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev has accused the US of dragging Russia into a new Cold War.
Gorbachev fears the chill in relations could eventually spur an armed conflict.
“Plainly speaking, the US has already dragged us into a new Cold War, trying to openly implement its idea of triumphalism,” said Gorbachev.
The former USSR leader, whose name is associated with the end of the Cold War between the Soviet Union and the US, is worried about the possible consequences.
“What’s next? Unfortunately, I cannot be sure that the Cold War will not bring about a ‘hot’ one. I’m afraid they might take the risk,” he said.
