After more than 16 hours of negotiations in Minsk between leaders from Ukraine, Russia, Germany, and France, a peace deal has been reached that calls for the end of the fighting between Ukrainian and pro-Russian separatist forces. More than 5,600 people have died in the nearly year-long war.
The cease-fire is set to begin this Sunday, February 14, followed by a withdrawal of heavy weaponry from both sides by at least 25 kilometers beginning two days later and completed in two weeks. According to Reuters, the groups "will withdraw weapons from a line set by the earlier Minsk agreement in September, while the Ukrainians will withdraw from the current frontline."
While a deal has been reached by both sides in the conflict, relations remain tense; a cease-fire pact reached last September quickly fell apart. And a spokesman for the Ukrainian military told Reuters that "50 tanks, 40 missile systems and 40 armoured vehicles" crossed into Ukraine from Russia last night; Moscow denies the claim as "groundless."
"We have no illusions," German chancellor Angela Merkel said a joint press conference with French president François Hollande. "A great, great deal of work still needs to be done. But there is a real chance to turn things around toward the better."
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko held separate news conference to announce the deal. From the New York Times:
"Despite all the difficulties of the negotiating process, we managed to agree on the main things," Mr. Putin said. Those issues included the withdrawal of heavy weaponry, a promise for constitutional reform, and "special status" for the breakaway regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, he said.
Mr. Poroshenko, for his part, emphasized the humanitarian issues, like the release of all prisoners, including Lt. Nadiya V. Savchenko, a female helicopter navigator who was elected to the Ukrainian Parliament while facing trial in Moscow. All foreign troops, military equipment and mercenaries should be withdrawn from Ukrainian territory, he said.
The cease-fire also comes as the International Monetary Fund agreed to a $40 billion bailout package to save Ukraine from bankruptcy.
[Image via AP]
