Talks aimed at striking a “binding” truce in Ukraine began in Minsk on Saturday afternoon as the number of soldiers and civilians killed continued to mount amid fierce fighting in several areas.

Representatives for the rebels, Russia, Ukraine and the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe met in the Belarusian capital, but no details were immediately available.

Former Ukrainian president Leonid Kuchma, the OSCE’s Heidi Tagliavini, and separatist representatives Denis Pushilin and Vladislav Deinego, as well as the Russian ambassador to Kiev, Mikhail Zurabov, were participating in the talks aimed at ending fighting that has left more than 5,000 people dead.

Ukrainian business tycoon and politician Viktor Medvedchuk - a close ally of the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, whom Moscow has backed as a mediator - was also present.

The talks follow a call for an immediate ceasefire in eastern Ukraine by the head of the OSCE following a rapid deterioration of the situation in the past 24 hours.

Former president of Ukraine Leonid Kuchma arrives in Minsk to take part in a meeting of the contact group on Ukraine. Photograph: Drachev Viktor/Drachev Viktor/ITAR-TASS Photo/Corbis

Ivica Dačić, who is also Serbia’s foreign minister, called on both sides to end the violence and indiscriminate use of weapons.

“The current conflict cannot be settled through violence but only through dialogue, which must be resumed as soon as possible in order for the suffering of civilians to stop,” he said.

The United Nations has also voiced concern about the deteriorating situation, with Neal Walker, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Ukraine, also calling for an immediate truce to allow humanitarian assistance and evacuation of civilians.

Intense fighting on Friday left more than 20 civilians dead following separate shelling attacks in rebel stronghold Donestsk, Debaltseve - a major rail and road junction 35 miles (50km) north-east of Donetsk - and other areas.

A rocket from a BM-30 Smerch luckily didn't explode when it hit this apartment in eastern #Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/ZjA020838z — Conflict News (@rConflictNews) January 31, 2015

The ceasefire calls come as 15 Ukrainian soldiers were killed and a further 30 wounded in clashes with Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine in the past 24 hours.

Stepan Poltorak, Ukraine’s defence minister, said on Saturday that fighting was particularly intense around Debaltseve, where thousands of government troops are partly encircled by separatists.

Residents of Debaltseve gathered at the town hall on Saturday to be evacuated with as many belongings as they could carry. Authorities said that almost 1,000 residents had left in the past three days, but the actual number could be far higher.



The government-held town has been without power, water and gas for at least 10 days, prompting many to flee from an intense artillery duel between Ukrainian forces and Russian-backed rebels.



Rebels said on Friday they had taken the town of Vuglegirsk - about 10km from Debaltseve - after Russian television showed video of heavy street fighting.

The rebels were also continuing to threaten Mariupol, a city of 500,000 people on the coast of Sea of Azov, Ukraine military spokesman Andriy Lysenko said.

At least 30 people were killed and more than 90 wounded in Mariupol last Saturday when Grad rockets struck residential areas.

The missiles, apparently fired by pro-Russia rebels, came on the day their leader announced an assault on the city, despite earlier denials from rebel authorities that they were responsible.

OSCE monitors, who visited the scene, said that the missiles had been launched from rebel-held territory.