German Chancellor Angela Merkel is to host Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko in Berlin on Monday amid efforts to revive the stalled peace process in Ukraine. Alongside bilateral issues, Merkel and Poroshenko are expected to discuss the implementation of the Minsk ceasefire agreement between Kiev, the Kremlin and pro-Russian separatists, which is part of efforts to end the conflict in eastern Ukraine. Merkel and Poroshenko are also expected to discuss Ukraine's bid for EU membership, a government statement said. According to the UN, the war in Ukraine has claimed around 10,000 lives since it erupted in February 2014 following the ouster of its pro-Russian president amid mass protests calling for closer ties with the European Union. Russia condemned the ouster as a Western-backed coup and annexed the peninsula of Crimea the following month. Despite a ceasefire under the February 2015 Minsk agreement, Ukrainian forces continue to fight separatists in the eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk. Russia is thought to be arming the movement, despite Moscow denying any military involvement.
