US Secretary of State visits Ukraine

(Vatican Radio) U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is in Ukraine on Thursday as Washington considers sending lethal weapons to help Kiev fight pro-Russian separatists. The talks come while pro-Russian forces have made advances in a massive offensive.

Listen to this report by Stefan Bos

With pro-Russian rebels on the move, John Kerry's visit to Kiev is seen as another step towards boosting military aid to Ukrainian government forces.  

The US secretary of state arrives shortly after Ashton Carter, the White House's choice for defence secretary, already announced he is "inclined" to start supplying arms to Ukrainian government troops.

So far the US only provided "non-lethal" assistance to Ukraine.

Yet divisions remain among allies whether military aid should be given at a time of a near Cold War with Russia over the conflict. 

Poland's Europe Minister Rafel Trzaskowski prefers a diplomatic solution. "We are not we taking any military solution into account because military solutions are completely off the table," he told Euronews television. "We do not want to destabilise the situation any further,” he added in an interview.

The issue is expected to be discussed this week with U.S. government officials at a NATO military alliance gathering in Brussels and and a security conference in Munich, Germany.  

Additionally, they will talk about boosting a rapid reaction force, including 5,000 land based troops, with command and control facilities centers in six eastern European nations.  

Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko says he is "convinced" that lethal aid will be provided.  to his forces.

Yet troops on the battle field may be forgiven for fearing better weapons will arrive to late them. 

Fierce fighting continues with heavily armed pro-Russian rebels. The separatists have burst through government lines in the town of Vuhlehirsk. That's just 10 kilometers (6 miles) from the key railway hub of Debaltseve, between the rebel-hold cities of Luhansk and Donetsk. 

The ongoing battles have added to human suffering. 

In Donetsk residents mourn the five people who died when shelling hit a hospital Wednesday."There was a huge explosion," said a crying woman near a body covered by a blanket. 

"I fell down. My son was walking here. That's my son," she said.       

They were among the latest victims in a conflict that has killed more than 5,350 people.