You're reading: Yahoo! News: Poroshenko offers talks with pro-Russian rebels

Ukraine's new Western-backed leader agreed on Sunday to dialogue with separatists not implicated in "murder and torture" as he laid out a peace plan that Russian President Vladimir Putin promised to back.

Petro Poroshenko's initiative follows his announcement on Friday of a week-long unilateral ceasefire in the government's 10-week campaign against pro-Russian rebels that has claimed more than 375 lives and displaced tens of thousands.

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