Ukraine Crisis
Galina Bayeva cries with her son (L) and husband (R) next to the body of her father Vladimir Churilov who was killed by recent shelling at the Azotny district in Donetsk, eastern Ukraine, December 5, 2014. Bayeva's parents were out walking in the neighbourhood when they were hit by a shelling attack, leaving her father dead and her mother with severe injuries. Reuters/Antonio Bronic

Even as the plan of U.S. to arm Ukraine forces with lethal weapons has sparked protests from Russia and some of the U.S allies in Europe, there seems to be no stopping of the U.S in going ahead with its military agenda in Ukraine. The latest is the plan to train Ukraine troops by the U.S military, as a way to quell the dissent in eastern region with better military response.

The announcement to that effect was made by U.S. Army Europe Commander Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges, who said a battalion of U.S. soldiers would be training three battalions of Ukrainiane soldiers at the Yavariv training center in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv. He was speaking at NATO's Multinational Corps Northeast Headquarters in the Polish city of Szczecin.

The ABC News reports that the Americans will be teaching Ukrainians to defend themselves against Russian and rebel attacks by artillery and rockets. The U.S. training will include securing roads, bridges and other infrastructure, treating and evacuating casualties, and conducting operations in an environment when communications are jammed by Russians.

Putin’s Proxies

During his speech, the U.S. Commander accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of arming and abetting Ukraine killings through pro-Russia separatists. "I think it's very important to recognise these are not separatists, these are proxies for President Putin," Hodges said. He said it is very obvious to infer the Russian military intervention in the area around Debaltseve from the amount of ammunition and kind of equipments detected.

Right now, an intense battle is going on between the rebels and official forces at Debaltseve, a government-held railway junction lying between the rebel-held cities of Luhansk and Donetsk. The U.S commander shared the concern that if the rebels are successful in Debaltseve, then they will turn attention to Mariupol, the strategic port city. The U.S. commander asserted that the Ukraine rebels are supported by large Russian forces, in the offensive, which include 10 battalions on the border of eastern Ukraine.

Rising Toll

Meanwhile, fighting intensified in eastern Ukraine even as parleys started among French, German, Ukrainian and Russian leaders in Minsk, Belarus, for evolving a consensus formula to bring peace in Ukraine.

The BBC reports that death toll is rising in Ukraine, with both sides seeking to wrest territores before a ceasefire is announced. In the latest escalation, the majority of Ukrainian military casualties happened near Debaltseve, where thousands of soldiers have been besieged by rebels.

The separatists cut off the main supply road into the town from the west to capture a tongue-shaped area that cuts into the eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk. While five people were killed in rebel-held Donetsk city on Wednesday, the Ukrainian military lost 19 soldiers on Tuesday.

Minsk Talks

Meanwhile, talks are progressing in the Belarusian capital Minsk for securing a ceasefire, withdrawing heavy weapons and creating a demilitarised zone. Berlin and Paris are working hard to strike a deal with Russia.

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