(Transcript from World News Radio)
Ukraine President Petro Poroshenko has pleaded for United Nations peacekeeping forces to intervene and enforce a ceasefire he says pro-Russian separatists are violating.
But Russia says Ukraine's request would breach a peace deal aimed at ending 10 months of fighting.
Biwa Kwan reports.
(SFX of cheering)
The scene was Debaltseve, rebel fighters hugging each other after claiming control of the city that has been the key battleground since a peace deal a week ago.
Nearly 2500 Ukrainian troops have withdrawn, leaving behind residents angered by the level of destruction caused by days of fighting.
United Nations aid deliveries have started to reach almost 200,000 residents displaced or trapped in battle zones in eastern Ukraine.
But in Debaltseve, thousands of residents who did not evacuate the place remain sheltering in buildings now flying the flag of the pro-Russian separatists.
The Ukrainian military says at least 14 soldiers are dead, more than 170 wounded, 90 captured and more than 80 missing.
With the army in retreat, President Petro Poroshenko says an international peacekeeping force is critical to enforce the terms of the peace deal, including a ceasefire.
(Ukrainian, then translated:) "We see the necessity of introducing this peacekeeping contingent in order to secure peace in Donbass and control over the Ukrainian-Russian border in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. We see the European Union mission, in the framework of the common security and defence policy, as the best option for a peacekeeping operation."
Russia has quickly rejected the proposal, with Russia's ambassador to the United Nations, Vitaly Churkin, accusing Ukraine of trying to destroy the peace deal.
He told the Russian state broadcaster RT that Ukraine appears to be negotiating a new scheme instead of delivering on what it already agreed to.
"It's a little bit disturbing, because they just signed the Minsk agreements on the 12th of February, and the Minsk agreements provide for the role of the OSCE.* There is nothing about the UN or European Union. So for them to start talking immediately about something else, does it show a lack of determination to carry through on what they agreed in Minsk on February the 12th? So I think, instead of coming up with new ideas, they should really work harder on implementing what they agreed on."
Separatist leaders have also rejected the idea, saying past UN deployments only contributed to the status quo and dragged out negotiations.
The Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe is monitoring the ceasefire, but the separatists refused to let monitors into Debaltseve.
OSCE parliamentary assembly president Ilkka Kanerva says more international peacekeepers could help the organisation restore peace in the region.
"I once again ask if an international peacekeeping mission should be considered. And I'm not saying this to undermine the work done by the Special Monitoring Mission. Quite the opposite, in fact. An international peacekeeping mission could perhaps complement the OSCE's work in making the peace process viable."
Lithuania's UN envoy says Ukraine's appeal for peacekeepers deserves consideration.
But German chancellor Angela Merkel and French president Francois Hollande are standing by the peace deal.
Analysts say the prospects of a UN peacekeeping force remain minimal, with Russia likely to use its veto power on the Security Council to block the proposal.
A spokesman for UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Stephane Dujarric, says the UN has not received a formal request from Ukraine.
"We are talking here about a situation where no request has been received. Obviously, in general terms, as you know, we don't have peacekeepers hanging around waiting for assignment. So for any peacekeeping mission, once a mandate is received, we then have to generate the force from troop-contributing countries. So all these things do take time. But I would reiterate that no request has been received."
And the EU official for external relations, Maciej Popowski, says more details about Ukraine's proposal for an EU policing mission are needed before it can be discussed.
"We need to know more. We need some clarity. Any kind of EU engagement would have to be based on a clear mandate and discussed with the member states. So, any time we know more, we'll go back to the ... The High Representative will analyse the proposal and then go to the member states for a more thorough discussion."
Meanwhile, Russia has hit back at British allegations it has further territorial ambitions to destabilise the Baltic countries of the NATO alliance.
Russia says the real threat to Baltic countries comes from NATO's increased activity.
British officials say they deployed fighter jets to escort two Russian military aircraft away from British airspace on Wednesday, the second such incident this year.
