Talks Held In Bid To Curb Violence

The talks will include members of the interim government and regional leaders , but Pro Russian separatists have refused to take part

The move is part of a "roadtrip" drawn up by the OSCE

On Tuesday seven Ukrainian soldiers were killed by rebels in the East , the defence ministry said an armoured personnel carrier was ambushed near the town of Kramatorsk in Donetsk region , one rebel was also said to have died in the ensuing gunfight

Donetsk and the neighbouring region of Luhansk have declared themselves separate from Ukraine after referendums deemed illegal by Kiev , the U.S. and E.U.

The OSCE , a security and rights monitoring group drawn from European countries , said on Monday that Russian President Vladimir Putin supported it's initiative

The Vienna based groups named vetran German diplomat Wolfgang Ischinger as a moderator for Wednesday's talks

However , analysts say it is unclear who will speak for the Pro Russian separatists , who lack a single leader or agreed goals

German foreign minister Frank Walter Steinmeier currently visiting Ukraine , said that he hoped that Wednesday's talks would lead to the separatists disarming and would also improve the atmosphere for Presidential elections on May 25th

Speaking in Odessa , he said the situation remained "very threatening" but called for "a national dialogue"

"I hope this will create the conditions to take a step to bring back occupied territory" he said

German Chancellor Angela Merkel , speaking in Berlin , said the more representative the talks were , the better

However , she added "clearly , people are only welcome if they can credibily show that they are prepared to reach their goals without violence"

The talks come amid escalating violence in the East of Ukraine , where armed separatists continue to occupy key government buildings

On Monday , Pro Russian activvists who declared independence in Donetsk , said that all Ukrainian troops in the region would be viewed as occupying forces and should leave

Their leader Denis Pushilin , called on Russia to "absorb" the region

In neighbouring Luhansk region , separatists said a rebel leader narrowly escaped an assassination attempt , self declared governor Valery Bolstov was shot and had lost a lot of blood , but his life was not in danger , the press office of the Luhansk People's Republic" said

In an effort to defuse tensions , the Kiev appointed governor of Donetsk region said on Tuesday that Ukraine was planning a national referendum on devolving power to regions

Serhiy Tarula described Sunday's separatist referendum in Donetsk and Luhansk as "an opinion poll"