Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said early Wednesday that its Russian counterpart accepts his peace plan's principles, but Vladimir Putin insisted that only Ukraine can call on a cease-fire with the pro-Russian separatists.

Poroshenko said he garnered support for his peace plan during the meeting in Minsk. The tricky part is getting the rebels to accept it, he added.

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Russia, who had been repeatedly accused of aiding the separatists, appears incapable or reluctant to exercise influence on the rebels, reports said.

The meetings between the presidents in what experts say a substantial move towards peace included a one-on-one session that produced no signs of ending the conflict soon.

In fact, the rebels had been attacking a part of southeast Ukraine in the past two days to open a new ground, officials said.

"This is Ukraine's business," Putin said, addressing a cease-fire plan. He added that Russia "can only help to create an atmosphere of trust for this important and necessary process."

But the meeting was not only about ending the conflict.

Other attendees of the meeting were the presidents of Belarus and Kazakhstan whose presence underscores an important Ukraine-Russia issue: the cause of the crisis.

According to reports, Ukraine's goal of pursuing ties with EU and joining the trade bloc would hurt the Russian economy.

To highlight the issue, Putin argued in his opening statement that Ukraine's move to sign an EU agreement would result to losses for Russia. As a response, it would be forced to protect its economy.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko believes that "agreements in principle" are vital in arriving at a settlement.

However, despite Ukraine's optimism on its peace plans, a solid agreement failed to take place.

While Ukraine demands the rebels to free eastern Ukraine, Russia wants to continue asserting influence on the area to stop Ukraine from joining the EU or NATO.

TagsUkraine, Russia, Minsk, Kazakhstan, European Union, EU, NATO, ukraine conflict, Petro Poroshenko