Russia to blame for 'hot war' in Ukraine - U.S. special envoy

A member of the Ukrainian armed forces is silhouetted as he stands at his position near Kramatorsk, March 11, 2015. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich

KIEV (Reuters) - Russian aggression is to blame for violence in eastern Ukraine, where people are dying in what should be seen as a "hot war" rather than a "frozen conflict", the U.S. special envoy to the Ukraine peace talks said on a visit to Ukraine on Sunday.

Kurt Volker, a former U.S. ambassador to NATO, was appointed to his current role on July 7 to help resolve the conflict between Ukrainian troops and pro-Russian separatists, which has killed more than 10,000 people since 2014.