Germany's foreign minister described as "high-risk" on Sunday the situation in east Ukraine after deadly battles between Ukrainian special forces and pro-Kremlin militias.

Speaking on German TV in an interview to be aired later Sunday, Frank-Walter Steinmeier also called on Moscow to send a clear sign of de-escalation which, he said, included pulling back troops massed along Ukraine's border.

The minister, who was interviewed from China where he's on a visit, said that Russia should offer "a word to distance itself" from what is happening in some east Ukrainian towns, according to written excerpts released early.

The situation in Ukraine is "not only explosive. It is high-risk", he told the "Bericht aus Berlin" show to be shown on Germany's ARD TV channel.

Ukraine sent special security forces into the city of Slavyansk early Sunday to regain control of a police station that had been seized the day before by about 20 militants, resulting in dead and wounded on both sides, according to Ukraine's interior minister.

Steinmeier also stressed the need for US-EU mediated talks between Ukraine and Russia planned in Geneva on Thursday to go ahead, despite a warning by his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov.

"The situation is so tense that those who have responsibility in East and West must now come together to prevent worse," Steinmeier said.

"I hope that this understanding holds sway also in Moscow."

But he warned against unrealistic expectations from this first meeting. "That it has come about is a small breakthrough," he said.

He added that he hoped the talks would provide a working plan for joint efforts by the four parties to prevent a worsening of the crisis and contribute to a de-escalation, as well as to helping to stabilise Ukraine economically and politically.


Source : AFP