Ukraine President 'cautiously optimistic' ahead of talks with Russia, rebels

Ahead of his meeting with Russia and the rebels, Ukraine President Petro Poroshenko has said that he is proceeding with a "careful optimism" and will do his best to put an end to the conflict.

Speaking at the Nato summit in Wales, he said that he hoped that a ceasefire agreement would not be very far since both Russia and separatists were ready for an immediate ceasefire, reported the CNN. The meeting is scheduled to take place in Belarus' capital today.

However, he also added that he was willing to work closely with Nato and counter the "Russian aggression" within the Ukrainian territory. He talked about new steps that would strengthen the security partnership between Ukraine and the European-North American alliance.

While calling for a political solution to the Ukraine conflict, Nato Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen expressed his reservations that the Ukraine peace plan unveiled by Moscow recently will be any different from the past ones. He also added that the violence in Ukraine has spiked up instead of slowing down after Moscow's statement.

The conflict has been raging for the past five months in Eastern Ukraine.

Kiev has accused Moscow of backing the pro-Russia rebels in the conflict, a claim that has been denied by Russia.