Ukraine: 'Last chance to prevent a major escalation'

The leaders of Russia, Ukraine, Germany and France aim to meet in Belarus's capital Minsk on Wednesday to discuss a peace plan for eastern Ukraine.

It comes after leaders of the four countries discussed the ongoing conflict by telephone on Sunday.

The former Swedish Foreign Minister, Carl Bildt, who attended the Munich Security Conference where the crisis was discussed, told the BBC: "Our experience shows us that if you have a breakdown after a very substantial political effort, then you really have a deterioration of the situation."