Battlefield losses, politics push Ukraine leader to seek peace

KIEV (Reuters) - In a week that has confused many Ukraine watchers, President Petro Poroshenko accused Moscow of launching "direct and open aggression" against his country and two days later said a peace process could begin as early as Friday.

As his office announced Poroshenko and Russia's President Vladimir Putin had reached agreement on a ceasefire in eastern Ukraine - a statement swiftly denied by Moscow - Ukraine's prime minister added to the confusion by branding Russia a "terrorist state" whose support for peace talks was just a sly ruse.