UN chief calls for truce in Ukraine

UNITED NATIONS, Feb 5 (Agencies): UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday joined calls for a temporary truce to allow civilians to be evacuated from the frontline town of Debaltseve in east Ukraine.

Ban said he was particularly concerned by the plight of civilians trapped in Debaltseve, a strategic railway hub linking two rebel-held cities.

"The rebel offensive continues and people are dying on a daily basis," he said in a statement released by his spokesman.

He voiced support for a proposal by European OSCE monitors for a temporary truce in Debaltseve, which has been the focus of the fiercest fighting in a week.

Thousands of civilians have fled the beleaguered town over recent days and those remaining behind are trapped in basements without water or electricity.

French President Francois Hollande says he is heading to Ukraine with German Chancellor Angela Merkel to present a new peace initiative.

He said they will put forward the new plan before meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Friday.

US Secretary of State John Kerry also landed in Kiev for talks on Thursday.

The diplomatic push to end the conflict, which has killed more than 5,000 people since last April, comes amid intensified fighting.

"Ukraine is at war. Heavy weapons are being used and civilians are being killed daily," Mr Hollande said at a news conference on Thursday.

He said the new peace proposal was based on the "territorial integrity" of Ukraine, which could be "acceptable to all".

A spokesman for the Kremlin confirmed that President Putin would meet with the two European leaders on Friday to discuss "the fastest possible end to the civil war in south eastern Ukraine".