Violence in Ukraine escalated sharply Tuesday, as artillery shells and airstrikes pierced the relative calm of a 10-day cease-fire hours after President Petro Poroshenko allowed it to expire.<\/p>\n
Both sides appeared to be readying for a protracted battle after days in which the fighting diminished but did not disappear. It remained unclear whether the Ukrainian military, which has battled pro-Russian separatists since mid-April, would be able strike a decisive blow against the rebels, who have seized territory in eastern Ukraine.<\/p>\n
The longer a conflict drags on, the greater the risk of further civilian casualties and the harder it will be for Ukraine\u2019s new government to stitch the society back together. Ukraine\u2019s economy presented a formidable challenge even without a growing insurgency in the country\u2019s industrial heartland. The foreign ministers of Ukraine, Russia, Germany and France planned to meet Wednesday in Berlin in a last-ditch effort to restart negotiations, the Russian Foreign Ministry said late Tuesday.<\/p>\n