Ukraine crisis: Pro-Russian rebels, Ukraine agree on ceasefire at meeting in Minsk

Updated

Ukraine and pro-Russian rebels have agreed on a ceasefire to end almost five months of fighting in eastern Ukraine.

The ceasefire, which came into effect 6:00pm Friday evening (1:00am Saturday AEST), was approved by envoys from Ukraine, the separatist leadership, Russia and the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) at a meeting in the Belarusian capital, Minsk.

Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko confirmed the ceasefire had been signed, while the country's president, Arseniy Yatsenyuk, called on the United States and Europe to act as guarantors.

"It is very important that this ceasefire lasts long and during this ceasefire we continue the political dialogue, to bring the peace and stability on Donbas [in east Ukraine]," Mr Poroshenko said.

Moscow welcomed the ceasefire and urged both sides to observe it closely.

"The Russian presidential office welcomes the signing of the protocol in Minsk," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was quoted as saying in Russian media.

"Moscow hopes all the provisions of the document and the agreements reached will be thoroughly observed by the parties and that the negotiating process will continue until the crisis in Ukraine is fully resolved."

Mr Peskov expressed hope that the ceasefire deal would be "thoroughly implemented" and that all sides would continue talks to reach a "full settlement of the Ukraine crisis".

Western leaders welcomed the decision while at a NATO summit in Wales, at which it was agreed a rapid reaction force would be created to reassure allies rattled by the Ukraine crisis and rising Islamic extremism.

US president Barack Obama said world leaders have sent a strong message to Russia.

"We strongly support president Poroshenko's efforts to pursue a peaceful resolution to the conflict in his country," he said.

"The ceasefire announced today can advance that goal but only if there is follow-through on the ground.

"Pro-Russian separatists must keep their commitments and Russia must stop its violations of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity."

East Ukraine mostly calm in early hours of ceasefire

Minutes after the ceasefire began, three blasts were heard north of Donetsk, followed by scattered mortar and artillery fire, but this later fell quiet.

Earlier on Friday, fighting had raged for much of the day in two flashpoints in eastern Ukraine – near the strategic port of Mariupol on the Sea of Azov and further north in Donetsk, mostly around the city's airport which remains in government hands.

"Our artillery has come and is being deployed against the [pro-Russian] rebels," the mayor of Mariupol, Yuri Khotlubey, told Ukraine's 112 TV channel.

The Azov volunteer militia said in a social media post that its men, along with Ukrainian troops, had staged a counteroffensive in the direction of Novoazovsk, a coastal town further east near the Russian border that was seized by rebels in late August.

This report could not be immediately confirmed.

"We are fighting for every metre of our land. The situation is extremely difficult," the post said.

NATO last month released satellite images appearing to show Russian armoured vehicles in Ukraine - a charge that Russia has denied.

The United Nations recently put the total death toll in the conflict to date at more than 2,600.

Poroshenko betrayed the country: Ukraine soldier

However, few government soldiers, wearied by nearly six months of conflict in eastern Ukraine, have much hope that a ceasefire can hold.

"A ceasefire would be a disaster, we would lose everything," Ukrainian soldier Taras said.

"By fighting we can resist the invasion and send them back. With a ceasefire they will consolidate and carry on after a while."

Another Ukrainian soldier who gave his name as Mykola said Mr Poroshenko, who attended the second day of a NATO summit in Wales on Friday, would "betray the country" if he backed a peace plan at this time.

"All these dead and wounded and exiled and all the homes burned and jobs lost and money lost – it was all for nothing," he said.

In rebel-held Donetsk, where residents mostly tend to blame the Ukrainian side for the conflict, scepticism was also strong.

"I doubt Ukraine would go for any ceasefire. Poroshenko may announce it for the army but there are also the Kolomoisky battalions," said Denis Tikhinov, 22, who worked for a computer servicing firm before it closed because of the fighting.

He was referring to battalions formed by Ihor Kolomoiksy, a wealthy businessman and governor of the Dnipropetrovsk region, to help fight the pro-Russian separatists.

"When the first ceasefire was announced by Poroshenko, Kolomoiksy said there would be no such thing and gave orders to his battalions to go on destroying the city and civilians," Mr Tikhinov said.

On Friday morning, people queued to get water from cisterns, to sign up for humanitarian aid and to withdraw money from the cash machine of one of the few banks still working in the city, which had a pre-war population of about one million.

"I have no hopes. Poroshenko is a traitor, he makes promises but he's just lying to the people," said pensioner Lidia.

Reuters

Topics: unrest-conflict-and-war, world-politics, government-and-politics, defence-and-national-security, treaties-and-alliances, ukraine, russian-federation, belarus

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