The leaders of Germany, France and Russia have held what the Kremlin calls "constructive and substantive" talks to help end the conflict in eastern Ukraine.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said German chancellor Angela Merkel, French president Francois Hollande and Russian leader Vladimir Putin met for five hours in Moscow.

"The talks are over for now and our guests are already on their way to the airport," he told reporters at the Kremlin.

Despite appearing upbeat about the discussions, the talks ended without any announcement on a possible agreement to end the fighting in eastern Ukraine.

The Kremlin said the leaders would continue working towards a joint document on implementing a ceasefire agreement that was reached in Minsk last September, but has since collapsed.

The leaders are likely to speak over the phone later this weekend, Mr Peskov said, indicating that Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko would also take part in the conversation.

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More than 5,000 people have been killed in fighting between pro-Russian separatists and Ukrainian government forces in eastern Ukraine.

In a sign of the tense atmosphere, the leaders went straight into the Kremlin for talks, without the usual diplomatic niceties of a welcoming handshake for the cameras.

Before arriving in Russia, Mr Hollande called the talks "the first step", while Ms Merkel said it was unclear whether the meeting in Moscow would secure a ceasefire.

Her spokesman said there "was no sign whatsoever" of a breakthrough so far.

An official from a major EU country, who declined to be identified, gave a gloomy prognosis and said Mr Putin would have little reason to urge the rebels to back down while they were advancing.

"He does not appear to have any incentive to back down now. The separatists are in control and taking more territory. He can sit back and wait as the pressure steadily builds on Ukraine and its leaders," the official said.

Meanwhile, on the ground in eastern Ukraine, a brief truce was organised so trapped civilians could reach safety from Debaltseve, a government-held railway hub nearly encircled by rebel forces who made it the target of their advance.

Both sides sent convoys of buses, giving residents a choice to evacuate to government or rebel territory. The government buses left full, but the rebel buses left mostly empty.

Peace talks last-ditch effort for ceasefire

The Franco-German peace effort is an attempt to restore a ceasefire to the conflict, before European leaders meet next week to discuss imposing new economic sanctions against Russia.

Previous sanctions, coupled with a decline in oil prices, contributed to a sharp fall in the ruble but seem to have done little to deter Mr Putin from his support for the rebels in territory he has dubbed "New Russia".

This week, Washington began openly hinting it could arm Ukraine's military. But its European allies have increasingly spoken out against such a move, arguing it would only escalate the conflict, while falling short of giving Ukraine the means to resist an onslaught backed by Moscow.

US General Philip Breedlove, NATO's top military commander, implied that he favoured sending weapons, telling a security conference in Munich that the West should use "all the tools in the tool bag".

But German defence minister Ursula von der Leyen told the same conference: "Are we sure that we would be improving the situation for the people in Ukraine by delivering weapons? Are we really sure that Ukraine can win against the Russian military machine?"

Western countries accused Mr Putin of sending funds, heavy weapons and troops to back pro-Russian separatists who launched an offensive in January, when a five-month-old truce finally collapsed. Moscow denies assisting the rebels.

Since launching their offensive, the rebels have made major advances.

Reuters