欧盟呼吁乌克兰各方立即停火

The European Union's foreign policy chief has called for an immediate truce in eastern Ukraine, where fresh fighting has killed three people, according to officials.

Witnesses saw at least three bodies outside a hospital that was hit by shells in the rebel-held city of Donetsk on Wednesday.

In a statement, the EU's Federica Mogherini said the "fighting, provoked by the continued separatist offensive, notably around Debaltseve, is causing great human suffering and undermines all efforts aimed at a political solution."

"The shelling of civilians, wherever it happens, is a grave violation of international humanitarian law. Artillery should immediately be withdrawn from residential areas," she continued.

Mogherini called for the establishment of a "local temporary truce for a minimum of three days, taking immediate effect."

Fighting has raged in the self-declared separatist regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, especially around the Ukrainian-controlled town of Debaltseve, since the rebels launched a new offensive late last month and peace talks in Belarus between the two sides collapsed Saturday.