DHAKA: Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko has said Russian conditions in ongoing negotiations in Belarus over the conflict in Ukraine are ‘unacceptable’.

He was speaking to reporters during a break in marathon talks involving Russian president Vladimir Putin.

The four-way meeting, also being attended by the leaders of France and Germany, began late on Wednesday and continued into Thursday morning.

Thousands of people have been killed in the fighting in the east of Ukraine.

German chancellor Angela Merkel and French president Francois Hollande are leading the peace initiative in Minsk.

After about 14 hours of overnight talks, Poroshenko said there was ‘no good news yet’.

He told reporters that Russia had set ‘conditions that I consider unacceptable’, according to the BBC.

He declined to elaborate but added that there was ‘always hope’ as talks were continuing.

They were set to focus on securing a ceasefire, withdrawal of heavy weapons and creating a demilitarised zone.

BDST: 1605 HRS, FEB 12, 2015