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On the tense frontlines in eastern Ukraine talk of a ceasefire is just that, as Fergal Keane reports
Talks on bringing peace to eastern Ukraine are set to begin, with the conflicting sides seeking agreement on a ceasefire.
Ukraine, Russia and pro-Russia rebels are due to begin afternoon talks in Belarus. However, there are new reports of shelling near the town of Mariupol.
Meanwhile, Western countries are preparing to announce a tightening of sanctions on Russia.
They are attending the second day of a Nato summit in Newport, Wales.
The West accuses Russia of sending arms and troops to back the rebels in eastern Ukraine. Moscow denies this.
More than 2,600 people have died during the five-month conflict.
The enhanced sanctions are expected to target Russian banking, energy and defence, as well as what British sources call "Putin cronies".
But the UK says the sanctions will probably go ahead whether or not a ceasefire is agreed at the talks in the Belarus capital, Minsk.
"There is a great degree of scepticism about whether this action will materialise, whether the ceasefire will be real," UK Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said.
"We can always take the sanctions off afterwards. I don't think we want to be distracted from our determination to impose further sanctions in response to Russia's major military adventure into Ukraine by these noises off about a possible ceasefire."
President Poroshenko on Thursday confirmed that there was a chance that a peace deal could be signed in Minsk later on Friday, leading to a ceasefire within hours.
Talks in the Belarusian capital are expected to begin at 14:00 local time (11:00 GMT), Mr Poroshenko said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has also expressed hope that a deal can be agreed.
But Mr Poroshenko was careful not to sound too upbeat.
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Ukraine's President Poroshenko: "Stability and security brutally undermined by Russian aggression"
"Ukraine is paying the highest price," the president said, "including lives of soldiers and innocent civilians. As president of Ukraine I must do my best to stop it."
Rebel leaders were cautious as well.
"In the past we had some ceasefire agreements Poroshenko didn't honour," Oleg Tsaryov, a senior rebel official, told Reuters news agency in Donetsk.
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How the Ukraine crisis has played out so far - in two minutes
Nato Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen was also careful not to raise hopes.
"Based on experience we have to be cautious," Mr Rasmussen said. "But... if we are witnessing a genuine effort to find a political solution, I would welcome it."
On Wednesday, Mr Putin announced a seven-point plan, including a halt to "active offensive operations" by the Ukrainian military and pro-Russia rebels, international ceasefire monitoring, unconditional prisoner exchanges and humanitarian aid corridors.
Mariupol shellingThe fighting on the ground in eastern Ukraine, however, is not abating, especially in areas where Ukrainian forces are under fire from pro-Russian rebels and are being beaten back.
Fighting is continuing near the city of Mariupol on the Azov Sea. Shelling could be heard to the northeast of the city.
War in eastern Ukraine: The human cost- At least 2,600 people killed since mid-April (not including 298 passengers and crew of Malaysian Airlines MH17, shot down in the area)
- 951 civilians killed in Donetsk region alone, official regional authorities said on 20 August
- In some particularly dangerous places, such as Luhansk region, victims are said to have been buried informally, making accurate counts difficult
- Rebels (and some military sources) accuse the government of concealing true numbers
- 260,000 people have fled elsewhere in Ukraine while at least 814,000 have gone to Russia.
Richard Galpin reports from war-weary Donetsk
Two civilians were injured by apparent shelling on Friday morning, the BBC's Fergal Keane reports from Mariupol. Ukrainian fighter jets hit rebel positions near the city.
Ukrainian government forces have recently suffered losses of territory in both the Luhansk and Donetsk regions, and further south around Mariupol.
IS threatAs part of Nato's response to what it sees as multiple challenges, the alliance has been discussing a Readiness Action Plan, enabling the rapid deployment of forces to trouble spots.
At the summit in Wales, the UK Prime Minister David Cameron said Britain was ready to contribute 3,500 personnel to Nato's planned rapid reaction force, able to deploy anywhere within 48 hours.
Analysis: Jonathan Marcus, BBC defence and diplomatic correspondentNato's new Readiness Action Plan is the practical military response to the growing threats from around Nato's borders; not just from a resurgent Russia but also from the growing tide of instability in the Middle East.
It is all about being able to get more capable forces to areas of threat faster than ever before.
Existing rapid reaction forces will be re-vamped. A multi-national "spearhead" force with air, sea and land elements is to be established, capable of reinforcing a Nato ally within 48 hours.
This will require some headquarters, logistics and other elements to be established in eastern Europe and some supplies will need to be pre-positioned.
These reinforcement plans will also be extensively rehearsed through a stepped up pattern of exercises.
Intelligence gathering and analysis will be stepped up to give Nato planners a greater awareness of what is going on around the alliance's borders.
Nato leaders are also discussing the growing threat of Islamic State (IS) in Iraq and Syria.
An IS video released on Tuesday showed the killing of US journalist Steven Sotloff, just days after the group beheaded another American reporter, James Foley.
In the latest video, an IS militant is seen threatening to kill a UK hostage, aid worker David Haines, who was seized in March 2013 in Syria's Idlib province.
Mr Rasmussen said Nato had pledged "seriously" to examine any plea by Iraq to fight IS militants.
Mr Cameron said the UK was deciding whether to arm the Kurds.
Continue reading the main storyAre you in eastern Ukraine? Has the recent violence affected you? You can email your experiences to haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.
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