Ukraine crisis: Talks held in bid to curb violence
Ukraine is due to host round-table talks in Kiev as efforts continue to find a negotiated settlement to the crisis in the east of the country, the BBC reported.
The talks will include members of the interim government and regional leaders, but pro-Russian separatists have refused to take part.
The move is part of a "roadmap" drawn up by the Organisation for Security and Co-operation and Europe (OSCE).
On Tuesday, seven Ukrainian soldiers were killed by rebels in the east.
The defence ministry said an armoured personnel carrier was ambushed near the town of Kramatorsk in Donetsk region. One rebel was also said to have died in the ensuing gunfight.
Donetsk and the neighbouring region of Luhansk have declared themselves separate from Ukraine after referendums deemed illegal by Kiev, the US and EU.
The OSCE - a security and rights monitoring group drawn from European countries - said on Monday that Russian President Vladimir Putin supported its initiative.
The Vienna-based group named veteran German diplomat Wolfgang Ischinger as a moderator for Wednesday's talks.
However, analysts say it is unclear who will speak for the pro-Russian separatists, who lack a single leader or agreed goals.
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, currently visiting Ukraine, said he hoped that Wednesday's talks would lead to the separatists disarming and would also improve the atmosphere for presidential elections on 25 May.
Speaking in Odessa, he said the situation remained "very threatening" but called for "a national dialogue."
"I hope this will create the conditions to take a step to bring back occupied territory," he said.