Belarus: OSCE envoy hails "constructive" Minks talks

The latest round of negotiations aimed at resolving the conflict in eastern Ukraine were hailed as "constructive" by Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) envoy Martin Sajdik in Minsk, Tuesday. Despite praising the negotiations and emphasising that "things are really moving" forward, no concrete agreements were reached. The next round of talks are set to take place in Minsk on July 21. The Minsk negotiators are attempting to implement the ceasefire agreement reached in February, which also calls for the removal of heavy weaponry. Negotiations on Tuesday also included the possibility of removing lighter weaponry from potential hotspots. According to the United Nations, the conflict in eastern Ukraine has claimed 6,500 lives since April 2014.