Russia's Lavrov sees 'noticeable progress' before Ukraine summit

By Gabriela Baczynska MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Wednesday there had been "noticeable progress" in preparations for a summit on the Ukraine crisis but suggested there were still questions about control over the border. Leaders from Russia, Ukraine, France and Germany are due in the Belarussian capital later on Wednesday to try to secure a peace plan for east Ukraine, where fighting between pro-Russian rebels and Ukrainian troops has killed more than 5,000 people. Lavrov, at a joint news conference with Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias, criticized Ukraine for what he called its "unrealistic" demand of making any agreement conditional on restoring full control of its border with Russia. "This is precisely what we see representatives of the Ukrainian authorities attempting in recent days," he said. "To make everything else conditional on restoring control of the border - as long as fighting goes on, as long as many other problems are not solved, this is simply unrealistic in my view." Lavrov said any deal on the border would have to be agreed with the self-proclaimed separatist "people's republics" in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of east Ukraine which control parts of the border. He also accused Ukrainian troops of trying to grab land before the talks, saying that further undermined chances for an agreement with the rebels on border control. The Ukrainian national guard said on Tuesday it had launched an offensive against pro-Russian separatists near the southeastern port city of Mariupol. (Writing by Gabriela Baczynska, editing by Elizabeth Piper)