Kiev, Donbas Reach Ceasefire Deal Ahead of Minsk Talks

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The representatives of Kiev and the southeastern Ukrainian self-proclaimed republics have reached a preliminary agreement on ceasefire and arms withdrawal.  The government residence in the Voiskovsky Pereulok in Minsk, which hosts the meeting of the Ukraine-Russia-OSCE Trilateral Contact Group with representatives of the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Lugansk people's republics in Minsk
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Parties in Contact Group Talks Take a Break to Consider Donbas Peace Proposals
The Contact Group on Ukraine's crisis settlement has managed to reach a preliminary agreement on the ceasefire in the southeast of the country, as well as on arms withdrawal, a source close to the organization of the Minsk talks said Wednesday.
The self-proclaimed southeastern republics of Donetsk and Luhansk (DPR, LPR), as well as Kiev, have given corresponding guarantees on the implementation of the deal.

"I can say that yesterday the parties really managed to agree on ceasefire and arms withdrawal. Kiev, in its turn, gave corresponding guarantees, the representatives of the DPR and LPR as well announced their readiness [to follow the agreements]," the source said.

The Contact Group on Ukraine, comprising representatives from Kiev, the self-proclaimed people’s republics of Donetsk and Luhansk, Russia and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), met in Minsk in September 2014, which resulted in a breakthrough ceasefire agreement between the warring sides.


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However, the ceasefire has been routinely violated, with both sides of the conflict blaming each other for the attacks.

The Contact Group met Tuesday for a new round of Ukrainian crisis settlement talks. The negotiations have been prolonged until Wednesday.

Later in the day, another Ukrainian settlement meeting is expected to take place in the so-called Normandy format, comprising the leaders of Russia, Ukraine, Germany and France.

Ukrainian reconciliation talks have been conducted in various formats, but none of the consultations has led to a long-term truce in eastern Ukraine.