DHAKA: The Nato military alliance has agreed on a new ‘spearhead’ force amid growing concern at the Ukraine crisis and the rise of Islamic State militants.

The move was announced at a meeting of Nato leaders in Wales.

Talks on a ceasefire in eastern Ukraine have begun, but more clashes were reported close to the city of Mariupol, reports the BBC.

Ukraine, Russia and pro-Russia rebels are attending the talks in Belarus, while Western countries ponder further sanctions on Russia.

The West accuses Russia of sending arms and troops to back the rebels in eastern Ukraine. Though, Moscow denies this.

More than 2,600 people have died during the five-month conflict.

“There is a great degree of scepticism about whether this action will materialize, whether the ceasefire will be real,” UK Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko told the BBC he was ‘absolutely not confident’ that peace could be achieved at the Minsk talks but “Ukraine as a state and me as Ukrainian leader are doing everything possible to have peace.”

On Wednesday, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin announced a seven-point plan, including a halt to ‘active offensive operations’ by the Ukrainian military and pro-Russia rebels, international ceasefire monitoring, unconditional prisoner exchanges and humanitarian aid corridors.

BDST: 1916 HRS, SEP 5, 2014