Ukrainian troops have withdrawn from the town of Debaltseve following fierce fighting with pro-Russian rebels, the country's president has said.

Petro Poroshenko said 80% of his military units had left in a "planned and organised withdrawal" from the strategically important area.

Russian television station Channel One showed the rebels hoisting their flag over a high-rise building in Debaltseve.

But Mr Poroshenko denied claims the pro-government forces were encircled, and said the troops were leaving with weapons and ammunition.

But some troops were believed to be trapped in the town, which links the two rebel-controlled regions in the east of Ukraine, Donetsk and Luhansk.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is calling for an end to the violence in the town:

Twenty-two Ukrainian troops have been killed and over 150 were wounded in fighting in the town in recent days, it was reported.

A rebel military spokesman, Eduard Basurin, told Russian television that more than 300 Ukrainian soldiers had surrendered, the Interfax news agency reported.

Kiev has admitted that soldiers have been taken prisoner, but has not said how many.

Journalists reported seeing dozens of tanks and vehicles carrying haggard soldiers leaving for the nearby town of Artemivsk.

Debaltseve

Separatist forces claim they control Debaltseve, and at one point offered Ukrainian troops the chance to surrender and lay down their weapons, which Kiev denied.

The Ukrainian leader Mr Porshenko said he was heading to the front line to meet soldiers.

"These actions have confounded Russia, which only yesterday demanded that Ukrainian soldiers lay down their arms, raise the white flag and surrender," he said.

"Despite the fierce artillery bombardments, so far we have information that out of 2,000 Ukrainian troops we have 30 injured."
Praising Ukrainian forces for "really socking it" to the separatists, Mr Poroshenko said he was going to the front "for the great honour of shaking hands with our heroes".

The 10-month conflict has left more than 5,000 people dead, and Ukraine accuses Russia of supporting and arming the rebels, a claim Moscow denies.

On Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin called on Ukraine to admit defeat in Debaltseve, saying "the only choice" of the troops was to "leave behind weaponry, lay down arms and surrender."

Russia's Interfax news agency reported that pro-Moscow rebels have started to withdraw heavy weapons from areas they control in eastern Ukraine where the ceasefire was holding.

The rebels say that the agreement negotiated by Ukraine, Russia, Germany and France last week does not apply to Debaltseve.
The leaders of those four countries will speak by phone later about the crisis, French government spokesman Stephane Le Foll said.

Originally posted at 12.47pm