DHAKA: Russian President Vladimir Putin is meeting his Ukrainian counterpart Petro Poroshenko and key EU leaders in Milan to discuss the eastern Ukraine crisis.

The leaders of the UK, Germany, France and Italy are expected to press Mr Putin to do more to end the fighting.

They accuse Russia of arming separatist rebels and sending regular Russian troops to Ukraine. Moscow denies this.

Ukraine and the rebels agreed a truce in September, but each side accuses the other of repeated shelling, reports BBC.

The separatists control parts of Ukraine's Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

More than 3,500 people have been killed since the fighting erupted in April, following the annexation by Russia of Ukraine's southern Crimea peninsular a month earlier.

BDST: 1238 HRS, OCT 17, 2014