KIEV, Ukraine (AP) — European-backed peace talks on ending Ukraine’s crisis began with little promise Wednesday when pro-Russian insurgents — who weren’t even invited to the session — demanded that the Kiev government recognize their sovereignty.

The “road map” put forth by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe calls for national dialogue as a first step toward resolving the escalating tensions, in which the insurgents have seized government buildings in eastern Ukraine and declared independence, while government forces have mounted limited offensives to retake control of the region.