Kiev , Ukraine ( CNN ) Amid renewed violence in eastern Ukraine , the leaders of Russia , Ukraine , Germany and France planned a face-to-face meeting in Belarus on Wednesday . The gathering of the four presidents , who have been talking for days on the phone or through diplomatic channels , is a significant development , as the heads of state would not want to walk away from such a gathering empty-handed . A spokesman for the German government told CNN that `` all sides have agreed '' to the meeting . But an attempt to gather these four leaders in January fell through after negotiations failed to reap agreements before the meeting date . Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday , speaking with Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko , hinted that Wednesday 's announced meeting might not be a done deal . Putin confirmed that he spoke with his counterparts in Ukraine , Germany and France , but he added that the meeting will happen `` if we succeed in settling the various points that we have discussed so intensively over these last days . '' So there is uncertainty about this meeting happening , but given the serious worsening of the conflict in eastern Ukraine , the Germans feel it is worth a try . The big challenge facing Putin , Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko , German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande is whether they can reach a peace agreement that will stick . A peace agreement was signed in September -- also in Minsk , Belarus -- that envisaged a ceasefire and the creation of a buffer zone between the warring sides , as well as constitutional changes . However , it quickly crumbled amid continued fighting . Western leaders and the Ukrainian government accuse Russia of providing weapons and training to the pro-Russian separatists battling Ukrainian forces in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions . They have also accused Russia of sending troops to the border to fight . Russia has denied the allegations . But some Western leaders continue to strongly hit at Putin . On Sunday , British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said Putin was acting like a `` mid-20th century tyrant . '' Speaking to Sky News , Hammond said Russia 's behavior was `` outrageous and outdated '' and warned that Putin will `` pay the price for what he is doing in Ukraine . '' All the while , the conflict -- which actually stemmed from a trade agreement -- has killed more than 5,000 people . Over the past day , shelling killed eight civilians in Ukraine 's Donetsk region , a rebel official told reporters Sunday . At least 17 other civilians were injured in the shelling , said Eduard Basurin , the self-declared deputy defense minister of the rebel group Donetsk People 's Republic . Civilians increasingly are falling victim to the violence in Ukraine , with at least 224 killed and more than 540 injured in just the final three weeks of January , the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights said . Meanwhile , Ukrainian forces killed 70 insurgents and a eliminated a number of tanks , artillery and rockets over the past day , a military spokesman said Sunday . But 12 Ukrainian soldiers were also killed , and another 24 were wounded by pro-Russian forces who shelled the town of Debaltseve , Col. Andriy Lysenko said in Kiev . Some U.S. officials are considering sending lethal aid to the Ukrainian military . `` Asserting that there is no military solution -- which is a truism -- should not lead us to believe that there is no military dimension to the problem or that hard power can play no role in a favorable solution , '' U.S. Sen. John McCain said Sunday . `` Putin does not want a diplomatic solution , he wants to dominate Ukraine as well as Russia 's other neighbors , '' McCain added , calling Russia 's military backing of rebels `` a harsh reality . '' But some Europeans , such as Merkel , have concerns about arming Ukrainian fighters . `` The progress that Ukraine needs can not be achieved with more weapons , '' she said . `` I have grave doubts about the validity of this point . '' Merkel said she believes that if the West provides lethal aid to Ukraine , then Russia could up the battle -- and possibly introduce its air force into the fight . But on Sunday , U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said the United States and Europe are united in their diplomatic efforts . `` Let me assure everyone there is no division , there is no split , '' he said at the Munich Security Conference in Germany . He reiterated that there is no military solution to the crisis with separatists in eastern Ukraine , and that borders should not be changed by force . `` But the longer that it takes , '' Kerry warned , `` the more the off-ramps are avoided , ( and ) the more we will be forced to raise the costs on Russia and its proxies . '' Frederik Pleitgen reported from Kiev ; Holly Yan reported and wrote from Atlanta ; and Nick Paton Walsh reported from Donetsk . CNN 's Mariano Castillo and Radina Gigova contributed to this report .
Russian , Ukrainian , German and French leaders plan to meet in Minsk , Minsk , on this year . The State says Hundreds of civilians have been killed Wednesday in the Belarus crisis .