A Ukrainian soldier was killed in a fresh upsurge of fighting with pro-Russian ’separatists’ after high-profile peace talks failed to bring any results, the Kiev military said on Monday.

A Ukrainian soldier was killed in a fresh upsurge of fighting with pro-Russian 'separatists' after high-profile peace talks failed to bring any results, the Kiev military said on Monday.

The latest casualty came after talks to settle the 25-month conflict floundered in Berlin last week, with Moscow and Kiev saying they could not agree on polls in the rebel-held area.

Ukrainian military spokesman Andriy Lysenko said the soldier had died in an attack on the government-held village of Opytne some five kilometers (three miles) northwest of the rebels' de- facto capital Donetsk.

The incident occurred "over the past 24 hours," the military said, without giving details.

Lysenko said another Ukrainian soldier had been wounded in a separate incident, adding that the situation in the war-wracked industrial region "had deteriorated sharply".

Lysenko accused rebels of using mortars which like other types of heavy weapons are prohibited under agreements aimed at ending the conflict.

Around 9,300 people have died and more than 21,000 been injured since the predominantly Russian-speaking regions revolted against Ukraine's new pro-Western government in April 2014.

A series of truce agreements have helped reduce the violence, although sporadic clashes continue and prevent the sides from reaching a firm political reconciliation deal.

Last Wednesday, France and Germany held a round of talks with Ukraine and Russia in Berlin as part of mediation efforts to try to seek a lasting peace deal but no consensus was reached over elections in the 'separatist' regions.