New violence in Ukraine diminishes hopes before four-way summit

People look at the remains of a rocket shell on a street in the town of Kramatorsk, eastern Ukraine February 10, 2015. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich

VUHLEHIRSK/KRAMATORSK, Ukraine (Reuters) - Rockets killed more than 10 civilians and soldiers deep in Ukrainian government-held territory on Tuesday and rebels pushed on with an assault on an army-held rail junction, setbacks that showed Kiev's position worsening on the eve of peace talks.

Advances by pro-Russian rebels diminished hopes of a deal when Russia, Ukraine, France and Germany hold a summit in Belarus on Wednesday under a new Franco-German initiative to halt fighting in a war that has killed more than 5,000 people.