BRUSSELS (Sputnik) — New clashes erupted in eastern Ukraine on Wednesday after Kiev troops launched an offensive against local independence supporters along the contact line in Donbass, according to Donetsk People Republic's (DPR) Defense Minister Vladimir Kononov. The fighting centered in the town of Marinka just outside the Donetsk city and left at least 21 dead and over 120 others injured.
The official said on condition of anonymity:
"Russia will not be present at the negotiating table, but it will be on the agenda,… especially in the context of the Minsk deal’s implementation and recent disturbing developments in eastern Ukraine."
He stressed that the fighting in Marinka, involving heavy weaponry, was the largest combat in Ukraine since February.
Ukrainian officials publicly acknowledged that Kiev used heavy artillery in the fighting, in violation of the Minsk peace accords.
In February, the warring sides in Ukraine agreed to maintain a ceasefire and withdraw heavy weapons from the line of contact.
The 41st G7 summit is scheduled to take place in the Bavarian Elmau Castle, outside Munich, on June 7-8, 2015. Russia, which previously was a member of the club, did not receive an invitation to participate in the meeting of the world’s largest economies.
