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Ukraine crisis: Putin announces ceasefire deal at Minsk talks
Russian president says artillery will be withdrawn from midnight on Saturday after marathon negotiations involving Russia, France and Germany

Ukraininan President Petro Poroshenko is followed by Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko and Russian President Vladimir Putin at the talks in Minsk. Photograph: Grigory Dukor/Reuters
Matthew Weaver and agencies
Thursday 12 February 2015 08.58 GMT
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Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, has confirmed that a ceasefire agreement has been reached after 15 hours of talks on the Ukrainian conflict.
Speaking at a press conference in Minsk, Putin said the ceasefire would come into force on Sunday. He also urged Ukraine to introduce constitutional reform to respect the rights of Russians in eastern Ukraine.
The French president, François Hollande, confirmed that a ceasefire had been agreed.
Earlier, Ukraine played down speculation about a possible ceasefire agreement accusing Russia of imposing “unacceptable” conditions.
There were reports overnight of a possible deal from the talks in Minsk, the capital of Belarus. One source said there was hope agreement could be reached and another said a document would be signed, according to news agencies.
The Minsk talks went on for more than 15 hours over Wednesday nightas European leaders tried to broker a deal to end fighting.
At one point Putin signalled his apparent frustration at the lack of progress by snapping a pen or a pencil.
Reuters said it had seen a document discussing a ceasefire starting on 14 February, the withdrawal of heavy weapons, the creation of a security zone and the return of full control of the border with Russia to Ukraine by the end of 2015, as well as the withdrawal of foreign arms and troops. But it was unclear whether the document represented a final agreement, a draft or a discussion paper, the news agency said.
More than 5,300 people have died since April in the conflict between Ukrainian forces and Russia-backed separatists in two eastern provinces and the bloodshed rose sharply in recent weeks.
The US president, Barack Obama, faces rising calls at home to send military aid to Ukraine, but European leaders fear it would only aggravate the fight. Russia, meanwhile, faces a severe economic downturn driven in part by sanctions the west has imposed for supporting the separatists with troops and equipment, which Moscow vehemently denies it is doing.
In a diplomatic blitz that began last week, Merkel and Hollande visited Kiev and Moscow to speak to Poroshenko and Putin, paving the way for the marathon session in Minsk.
“The entire world is waiting to see whether the situation moves toward de-escalation, weapons pullback, ceasefire, or ... spins out of control,” Poroshenko said upon arriving.
The Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, signalled some progress, saying late on Wednesday that the talks were “active, better than super”.
A top rebel official, Andrei Purgin, told Russian television that it might take a day or more for hostilities to end even if a ceasefire was called.
On Wednesday the French foreign minister, Laurent Fabius, said “quite a number of problems remain” in negotiations including the future of eastern Ukraine, guarantees about the Ukraine-Russia border and the prospects of a possible ceasefire, weapons pullback and prisoner exchange.
Fabius said the aim of the talks was to win an accord that works on the ground, “not just one on paper.”
Germany and France rushed to mediate after a recent surge in fighting that continued on Wednesday. In the rebel-held city of Donetsk rebel officials said five people were killed and nine wounded in a shelling attack on a bus station; An Associated Press reporter saw one body. Officials in Kiev said 19 troops were also killed and 78 wounded in fighting in Debaltseve, a hotly contested transport hub in eastern Ukraine.
Ukraine crisis: Putin announces ceasefire deal at Minsk talks | World news | The Guardian
Russian president says artillery will be withdrawn from midnight on Saturday after marathon negotiations involving Russia, France and Germany

Ukraininan President Petro Poroshenko is followed by Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko and Russian President Vladimir Putin at the talks in Minsk. Photograph: Grigory Dukor/Reuters
Matthew Weaver and agencies
Thursday 12 February 2015 08.58 GMT
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418
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655
Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, has confirmed that a ceasefire agreement has been reached after 15 hours of talks on the Ukrainian conflict.
Speaking at a press conference in Minsk, Putin said the ceasefire would come into force on Sunday. He also urged Ukraine to introduce constitutional reform to respect the rights of Russians in eastern Ukraine.
The French president, François Hollande, confirmed that a ceasefire had been agreed.
Earlier, Ukraine played down speculation about a possible ceasefire agreement accusing Russia of imposing “unacceptable” conditions.
There were reports overnight of a possible deal from the talks in Minsk, the capital of Belarus. One source said there was hope agreement could be reached and another said a document would be signed, according to news agencies.
The Minsk talks went on for more than 15 hours over Wednesday nightas European leaders tried to broker a deal to end fighting.
At one point Putin signalled his apparent frustration at the lack of progress by snapping a pen or a pencil.
Reuters said it had seen a document discussing a ceasefire starting on 14 February, the withdrawal of heavy weapons, the creation of a security zone and the return of full control of the border with Russia to Ukraine by the end of 2015, as well as the withdrawal of foreign arms and troops. But it was unclear whether the document represented a final agreement, a draft or a discussion paper, the news agency said.
More than 5,300 people have died since April in the conflict between Ukrainian forces and Russia-backed separatists in two eastern provinces and the bloodshed rose sharply in recent weeks.
The US president, Barack Obama, faces rising calls at home to send military aid to Ukraine, but European leaders fear it would only aggravate the fight. Russia, meanwhile, faces a severe economic downturn driven in part by sanctions the west has imposed for supporting the separatists with troops and equipment, which Moscow vehemently denies it is doing.
In a diplomatic blitz that began last week, Merkel and Hollande visited Kiev and Moscow to speak to Poroshenko and Putin, paving the way for the marathon session in Minsk.
“The entire world is waiting to see whether the situation moves toward de-escalation, weapons pullback, ceasefire, or ... spins out of control,” Poroshenko said upon arriving.
The Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, signalled some progress, saying late on Wednesday that the talks were “active, better than super”.
A top rebel official, Andrei Purgin, told Russian television that it might take a day or more for hostilities to end even if a ceasefire was called.
On Wednesday the French foreign minister, Laurent Fabius, said “quite a number of problems remain” in negotiations including the future of eastern Ukraine, guarantees about the Ukraine-Russia border and the prospects of a possible ceasefire, weapons pullback and prisoner exchange.
Fabius said the aim of the talks was to win an accord that works on the ground, “not just one on paper.”
Germany and France rushed to mediate after a recent surge in fighting that continued on Wednesday. In the rebel-held city of Donetsk rebel officials said five people were killed and nine wounded in a shelling attack on a bus station; An Associated Press reporter saw one body. Officials in Kiev said 19 troops were also killed and 78 wounded in fighting in Debaltseve, a hotly contested transport hub in eastern Ukraine.
Ukraine crisis: Putin announces ceasefire deal at Minsk talks | World news | The Guardian

