海角大神

German Chancellor聽聽flew in to the Ukrainian capital on Saturday and said she wanted to help end a crisis over聽聽which flared again after聽聽sent a convoy of trucks into聽听飞颈迟丑辞耻迟 Kiev's permission.

Many of the trucks had crossed back into聽, helping ease the tension sparked by what Western governments said was the convoy's illegal incursion a day earlier.

Making her first visit to聽聽since the conflict broke out four months ago in the east of the country between pro-聽separatists and government forces,听Merkel聽went into talks with Ukrainian President聽.

In brief remarks at the start of their talks, the German leader said she came to Kiev "in a difficult time which is focussed on the unity and territorial integrity of聽."

"I hope that we will be able to discuss bilateral problems and support from聽聽as well as the path towards peace, which must be found," she said.

Hours before her plane landed in Kiev, there was heavy artillery bombardment in聽, the main separatist stronghold on the east of聽, near the border with聽. Reuters reporters saw apartments destroyed and puddles of blood, where, according to residents, two civilians were killed.

The unusually intense shelling may be part of a drive by government forces to achieve a breakthrough against the rebels in time for Ukrainian Independence Day, which falls on Sunday.

Diplomats say聽Merkel聽has two aims for the visit: primarily to show support for Kiev in its stand-off with聽, but also urge Poroshenko to be open to peace proposals when he meets Russian President聽聽for talks next week.

TRUCK CONVOY

A convoy of about 220 white-painted trucks rolled into聽聽on Friday through a border crossing controlled by the rebels after days waiting for clearance.

聽said the trucks moved in without Kiev's consent because civilians in areas under siege from聽聽troops were in urgent need of food, water and other supplies.

Russian state television broadcast footage of some of the trucks being unloaded at a distribution depot in the city of聽,听, where beleaguered rebels are trying to hold of an offensive by government troops.

Kiev called the convoy a direct invasion, a stance echoed by NATO, the聽, and European leaders.

A Reuters journalist at the聽-Izvaryne border crossing, where the convoy rolled into聽聽on Friday, said trucks on Saturday had started pouring back onto the Russian side of the border.

The foreign ministry in聽聽said the convoy had now left聽, though a Ukrainian military spokesman disputed this, saying only 184 of the 220 vehicles had re-entered聽.

The spokesman,听, also alleged that the aid trucks had been loading up with equipment removed from Ukrainian armaments factories in rebel-held territory. This could not be independently verified.

滨苍听, NATO said it had reports that Russian troops had been firing artillery at Kiev's forces inside聽- fueling Western allegations that the Kremlin is behind the conflict in an effort undermine the Western-leaning leadership in Kiev.

"Since mid-August we have multiple reports of the direct involvement of Russian forces, including airborne, air defense and special operations forces in聽," said NATO spokeswoman聽.

"Russian artillery support - both cross border and from within聽聽- is being employed against the Ukrainian armed forces," she said.

The Russian foreign ministry, in a statement, called those allegations "groundless."聽聽accuses Kiev, with the backing of the West, of waging a war against innocent civilians in聽, a mainly Russian-speaking region.

The conflict in聽聽has dragged Russian-Western relations to their lowest ebb since the Cold War and sparked a round of trade sanctions that are hurting already-fragile economies in European and聽.

HOMES DESTROYED

The crisis over聽聽started when mass protests in Kiev ousted a president who was close to聽, and instead installed leaders viewed with suspicion by the Kremlin.

Soon after that,听聽annexed the Ukrainian region of Crimea, and a separatist rebellion broke out in. In the past weeks, the momentum has shifted towards聽's forces, who have been pushing back the rebels.

The separatist are now encircled in their two strongholds,听听补苍诲听.

Reuters reporters in聽聽said that most of the shelling was taking place in the outskirts, but explosions were also audible in the center of the city.

滨苍听's Leninsky district, a man who gave his name as Grigory, said he was in the toilet on Saturday morning when he heard the whistling sound of incoming artillery. "Then it hit. I came out and half the building was gone."

The roof of the building had collapsed into a heap of debris. Grigory said his 27-year-old daughter was taken to hospital with injuries to her head. He picked up a picture of a baby from the rubble. "This is my grandson," he said.

In another residential area, about 5 km north of the city center, a shop and several houses had been hit. Residents said two men, civilians, were killed.

, 84, pointed to two puddles of blood on the pavement near a bus stop that was destroyed in the same attack. "He's dead. Death took him on this spot," she said.

Additional reporting by Maria Tsvetkova and Tom Grove in聽,听, Madeline Chambers in Berlin, Adrian Croft in聽, Dmitry Madorsky at聽聽border cross,听, and Vladimir Soldatkin in聽; Writing by 海角大神 Lowe; Editing by Ralph Boulton