The much anticipated Moscow talks, shrouded in secrecy, have raised hopes of a possible breakthrough in resolving the bloody civil conflict that is tearing Ukraine apart.

The lengthy negotiations on Friday between the leaders of Russia, Germany and France on working out a solution to the protracted crisis in Ukraine have been called “constructive” by all the parties, and a possible document is in the works to implement the Minsk agreements. They are seen as a real way out if both warring parties in Ukraine – Kiev and the eastern Donetsk and Lugansk regions – stick to it.