Kiev accused Russia of funneling more armor into rebel-held areas of Ukraine on Wednesday and said that Russian troops had seized several villages in a new offensive along its southern shore.

The renewed fighting further damped hopes of any peace deal, one day after the Russian and Ukrainian presidents met face-to-face in the Belarus capital of Minsk. Despite conciliatory remarks by both leaders, events on the ground signaled the Kremlin is far from ready to abandon its efforts to keep Ukraine in its sphere of influence.

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