Poroshenko to brief world leaders before NATO summit

Newport (United Kingdom) (AFP) - Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko will brief British Prime Minister David Cameron, US President Barack Obama and other world leaders on Thursday before the official start of a NATO summit, a British government source said.

Prime Minister David Cameron "will bring together" French President Francois Hollande, Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Obama to hear Poroshenko, the source added.

"The meeting will provide leaders with the opportunity to hear President Poroshenko's assessment of the latest situation on the ground and his discussions with President Putin," the source said on Wednesday.

"It will also send a clear signal of their support for Ukraine's sovereignty and that the onus is on Russia to de-escalate the situation," the source added.

Putin earlier on Wednesday unveiled a last-minute peace plan following phone talks with Poroshenko but the reaction was cautious.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk said the proposal was meant to "pull the wool over the eyes of the international community".

Some 2,600 people have been killed in five months of fighting in eastern Ukraine between Ukraine's army and pro-Moscow rebels which the West suspects are supplied and trained by Russian and include Russian soldiers.