(VOVworld) - The Kremlin said on Tuesday that increased military activity by Ukrainian government forces had undermined hopes of arranging a summit.

Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov (Photo: Itar-tass)

Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the renewal of hostilities by the Ukrainian authorities undermines the Normandy meeting of leaders from Russia, Ukraine, Germany and France. The Normandy meeting was supposed to take place in late January in Kazakhstan’s capital Astana.

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeir invited the foreign ministers of Russia, Ukraine, and France to Berlin on Wednesday as violence escalates in eastern Ukraine. The participants are expected to discuss the possibility of organizing a summit between German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, Russian President Vladimir Putin and French President Francois Hollande.