4-way emergency summit on Ukraine conflict planned

BERLIN, Feb 8 (agencies): A summit between France, Germany, Russia and Ukraine is being planned for Wednesday in Minsk, the latest step in a hectic diplomatic effort to find a political solution to the Ukraine conflict, Berlin said.
The leaders of the four countries talked by telephone Sunday to discuss how to reach a "comprehensive settlement," a statement from the German chancellor's office said.
Diplomatic efforts would continue "with the aim of a summit in the 'Normandie' format be held in Minsk on Wednesday," said the statement, using the French term for the four-nation group.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande on Friday jetted to Moscow for crisis talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on ending the 10-month-old conflict that has claimed some 5,400 lives.
Merkel then went to the Munich Security Conference where she met US Secretary John Kerry, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavarov and Ukraine President Petro Poroshenko to continue work on what Hollande said was "the last chance for peace."
Merkel, Hollande, Poroshenko and Putin "this morning conducted an extensive telephone conference," the German statement said.
"They continued to work on a package of measures to achieve a comprehensive settlement of the conflict in eastern Ukraine," it said.
It added that the signatories of a failed Minsk agreement reached in September-representatives of the OSCE, Russia and Ukraine as well the separatists-"will also get together by Wednesday in Minsk."
More than 5,000 people have been killed by fighting between Ukrainian forces and pro-Russia rebels since April 2014.
Western countries accuse Russia of arming rebels and sending troops to Ukraine - claims Russia denies.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande have been leading efforts to establish a new peace plan.
Mrs Merkel, Mr Hollande, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and Russian President Vladimir Putin held an "extensive" telephone conference on Sunday, German government spokesman Steffen Seibert said in a statement (in German).
The four parties discussed "a package of measures" to try to reach "a comprehensive settlement of the conflict in eastern Ukraine," Mr Seibert said, adding that the leaders aimed to meet on Wednesday.
Meanwhile: The United States on Sunday called on all sides in the Ukraine conflict to refrain from any actions that undercut current peace efforts and voiced concern about renewed "fierce fighting".
"We call on all parties to refrain from actions that undercut the current diplomacy," said State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki, who was travelling with Secretary of State John Kerry in Germany.
"We continue to support the ongoing diplomatic efforts by our European colleagues and remain in lockstep that any agreement must respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine," she said.
Psaki said the United States remained "concerned about the fierce fighting today in Debaltseve and Mariupol, and press references to new Russian convoys into eastern Ukraine.
Secretary of State John Kerry denied on Sunday that a split has emerged between Washington and Europe over how to handle Russia, after leading U.S. senators sharply criticized Germany and other countries who oppose sending arms to the Ukraine military.