Austrian foreign minister meets his Ukrainian counterpart

Austria's foreign minister told his Ukrainian counterpart not to expect "miracles" from the meeting. 

European foreign ministers are meeting to discuss the crisis in Ukraine, where the authorities have launched a crackdown on pro-Russian separatists.

Austria hopes backing will be given to this month's presidential election at the Council of Europe summit in Vienna.

It comes a day after Ukrainian security forces began an "anti-terrorism operation" in the country's east.

Interior Minister Arsen Avakov said four soldiers and an estimated 30 separatists were killed near Sloviansk.

He said that up to 800 well-trained militants armed with large-calibre weapons and mortars were hiding among civilians in the town, where government buildings have been seized and checkpoints set up.

A local citizen journalist reports that 17 separatists were killed, on Monday.

A Russia Today reporter in Sloviansk said checkpoints manned by gunmen were being reinforced, and that nervous residents were stocking up on supplies of food and water.

Kiev accuses Moscow of supporting and arming the separatists - a claim denied by the Kremlin.

Meanwhile, many flights in and out of Donetsk were suspended early on Tuesday. Aviation authorities gave no reason for the move.

New checkpoints were earlier set up around Kiev. The interior ministry said it wanted to prevent the movement of weapons and explosives.

The authorities also attempted to re-establish control over Odessa.

Interim President Olexander Turchynov issued a decree dismissing the acting head of the regional administration, Volodymyr Nemyrovskyy, and replacing him with Ihor Palytsya, an MP and former businessman.

Forty-six people died in the Black Sea city on Friday in a fire at an official building and fighting between pro-Russian and pro-Ukrainian protesters.

Austria, which currently chairs the committee of ministers of the Council of Europe, said it expected the 30 ministers attending Tuesday's meeting to discuss ways to defuse the situation in eastern Ukraine.

Ukraine's acting Foreign Minister Andriy Deshchytsia and his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, met briefly on the sidelines late on Monday.

"There was a short greeting. They spoke briefly, but not by themselves", an Austrian foreign ministry spokesman said on Tuesday morning.