A meeting is scheduled next week between Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and Russian President Vladimir Putin to seek a solution to the six-month conflict over eastern Ukraine.

"I will have a meeting with the president of Russia, Vladimir Putin, in Milan," where a Europe-Asia summit will be held Oct. 16-17, Poroshenko said, according to Agence France-Presse.

Also included on the invite list are German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Italian Premier Matteo Renzi and British Prime Minister David Cameron, as well as other European Union leaders.

Poroshenko expressed that while he is enthusiastically headed for the talks, he is not naïve in dealing with Russia and admits it will not be easy.

"You know, I don't expect that these will be easy negotiations," he told AFP. "I'm used to it, I have large experience with complicated diplomatic talks. But I'm an optimist."

The last time the two met was in late August, which was successful in leading to a truce between Kiev and the pro-Russian rebels in the eastern part of the country -- including Lugansik and Donetsk.

But the cease-fire has been disrupted, and Ukraine blames Russia for stirring the rebellion, which has already killed more than 3,300 people -- 300 of which died after the cease-fire, according to the United Nations.

The most recent fighting reported is in Donetsk, where rebels are trying to recapture the airport from the Ukrainian government, euronews reported.

During a news conference regarding the situation, Ukraine's National Security and Defence Council Spokesman Andriy Lysenko said, "Terrorists are moving out everything they can find: coal, metal, vehicles and taking it to the Russian Federation. Terrorists are still breaking the cease-fire. The main target for the terrorists is the airport. In the past 24 hours, it has been attacked five times."

Discussions of peace should include the separatists in order to find an acceptable solution to those involved, Lysenko said.

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