Ukraine rules out direct talks with separatists

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov adjusts his headphones during a news conference after a meeting with his German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier in Moscow, November 18, 2014. REUTERS/Sergei Karpukhin

KIEV/MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia urged Ukraine's leaders on Wednesday to talk directly to separatists to end the conflict in the east, but Kiev rejected the call and told Moscow to stop "playing games" aimed at legitimising "terrorists".

Kiev and the West accuse Russia of destabilising Ukraine by providing the rebels with money, arms and reinforcements. The West has imposed sanctions on Moscow over the conflict in which more than 4,000 people have been killed since mid-April.