French President François Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel in peace talk

French President François Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel were expected in Russia’s capital Moscow on Friday, a day after Ukraine gave its tentative support for a peace plan aimed at ending the country’s ongoing crisis.

In a statement Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said talks with Hollande and merkel late Thursday raised “hope for a ceasefire” after the pair flew to the capital Kiev in the most serious push yet to resolve the ten-month conflict.

The two European leaders are set to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin – who the West sees as the mastermind behind Ukraine’s pro-Russia rebellion – to try to get him to sign up to their peace plan.

US support for Ukraine is not hidden after US secretary visited and supplied arms to Ukraine

The recent attacks by pro Russian rebels left hundreds of civilians dead over recent in east Ukraine after officially dropping peace talk

Before setting off on the surprise diplomatic push, Hollande said in Paris that he and Merkel would “propose a new solution to the conflict based on the territorial integrity of Ukraine”.

Few details have been gathered of what exactly the new peace proposal contains

 “President Putin can make the choices that could end this war,” Kerry said after meeting Ukrainian leaders, voicing support for the “helpful” Franco-German plan to be put to the Russian leader on Friday.

The plan appears to have come from a back-and-forth between Putin, Merkel and Hollande and, according to a report in German newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung, would give separatists greater autonomy and territory they have captured in recent days, although German officials have denied this.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseny Yatseniuk insisted Moscow should just stick to a disobeyed accord agreed in Minsk last September.