Even before the Ukrainian victory at Slovyansk, European powers and Russia had been pushing for Kiev and the pro-Russian rebels to return to the negotiations table and enact a ceasefire. With Ukraine's latest success, they may be willing to resume talks.

Days after the first ceasefire ended, France, Germany and Russia had asked the two sides to attempt to continue talks. On Wednesday Russia sent Ukraine a stern message, asking for cessation of hostilities near residential areas and for the ceasefire to resume, according to The New York Times.

"Again we resolutely demand that the Ukrainian authorities -- provided they are still able to evaluate sensibly the consequences of the criminal policy they conduct -- to stop shelling peaceful cities and villages in their own country, to return to a real cease-fire in order to save human lives," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in the statement.

The New York Times added that the statement accused Ukrainian President Poroshenko of trying to annihilate his own citizens. However, on that same day foreign ministers from France, Germany, Ukraine and Russia met in Berlin to discuss the possibility of continuing peace negotiations with little success.

On Thursday, the French and German leaders asked Russian President Putin to put pressure on the rebels and push toward the negotiations table, according to Reuters. However, Ukraine made the first move. 

With Ukraine's victory on Friday and the rebels' retreat, they are willing to begin talks since they have the upper hand. According to Australian news channel ABC, Poroshenko has announced a new ceasefire and proposed talks.

A statement posted on the president's website announced he had told the European Union's foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton about a "proposed time and place for the talks." These are more than likely to happen inside Ukraine since Kiev argues holding the talks abroad would give the rebels undeserved legitimacy. However, both sides are currently fighting in Donetsk, where the first talks were held.

A contact group was formed during the first unsuccessful talks with a "former Ukrainian president, Moscow's ambassador to Ukraine and a high-ranking official from the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE)." This same group, according to ABC, will likely participate in the new talks.