Marathon peace talks aimed at ending the bloody crisis
in eastern Ukraine concluded Thursday in a breakthrough: A
ceasefire that's due to start Sunday and an agreement for both
sides to pull back heavy weapons.
If the ceasefire holds -- which is far from certain -- it could end a
10-month conflict that has claimed more than 5,000 lives, many of
them civilians, and plunged East-West relations to their lowest
point since the end of the Cold War.
Addressing reporters after the four-way overnight talks in Minsk,
Belarus, Russian President Vladimir Putin said all parties had
agreed to the ceasefire starting February 15 and called for
restraint in the interim.
"I call on both sides to end the bloodshed as soon as possible"
and come to a real political solution to the conflict, he said.
Putin said that both sides have agreed to pull back heavy weapons.
The talks between Russia, Ukraine, France and Germany took so
long, he said, because authorities in Kiev still refuse to have direct
contact with separatists.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel , speaking alongside French
President Francois Hollande , said more work remained to be done,
but "what we have on the table gives us great hope."
The agreement may not be perfect, she said, but it has provided a
chance to improve matters in eastern Ukraine and is "clearly
preferable to the situation if we had done nothing."
Merkel said Putin would be talking to separatist leaders about the
deal. They were expected to travel to Moscow on Thursday to meet
with Russian lawmakers.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko was heading to
Brussels, Belgium, to brief European leaders on the situation.
Both Hollande and Merkel paid tribute to his efforts on behalf of
Ukraine in the talks.
European Council President Donald Tusk said that the agreement
was "welcome news and gives hope" but that hope was not enough.
"The real test is the respect of the ceasefire on the ground," he
said.
He added that after speaking with Merkel, his feeling was "that we
should remain extremely cautious."
'We must give Ukraine this chance'
In a televised statement, two separatist leaders, Igor Plotnitsky, of
the self-proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic, and Alexander
Zakharchenko, of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic,
indicated they supported the deal.
"We must give Ukraine this chance," said Plotnitsky, adding that
the peace plan envisages constitutional reforms that will protect the
rights of people in eastern Ukraine and change Kiev's approach.
Zakharchenko said any violations of the terms agreed to so far,
with further talks still needed on some points, would mean no
more deals. "All responsibility for any violation of the agreement
is on Petro Poroshenko," he said.
A previous ceasefire deal, agreed to on September 19, also in
Minsk, broke down amid continued fighting. It called for a
drawback of heavy weapons, greater autonomy in the eastern
Luhansk and Donetsk regions and a buffer zone along the Russia-
Ukraine border.
The Kremlin released details of the new agreement, which is similar
in part to the September deal, on its website, but it's still unclear
how elements of it will work. The points include:
• An immediate and comprehensive ceasefire in parts of Donetsk
and Luhansk starting at midnight on February 15.
• The withdrawal of all heavy weapons by both parties at equal
distances in order to create a security zone width of at least 50
kilometers (31 miles) from each other for artillery systems and
more for longer-range weapons. The Ukrainian side must withdraw
its weapons from the current front line and the separatists from
the front line as of September 19.
• This process should begin no later than the next day after the
ceasefire and should be over within 14 days.
• The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, which
has a monitoring team in Ukraine, will monitor the ceasefire line
and withdrawal of heavy weapons.
• A dialogue on new local elections and the special status of the
Donetsk and Luhansk regions will begin the day after the
withdrawal.
• A law will be created to give amnesty to people involved in
events in Luhansk and Donetsk.
• Both sides must ensure the release and exchange of all
hostages and illegally held prisoners by no later than the fifth day
after the withdrawal.
• Social payments such as pensions should be restored, and
Ukrainian authorities should regain full control of the banking
system in conflict-affected areas.
• Full control of the border will be restored to the Ukrainian
government, beginning the day after local elections are held.
• Withdrawal of all foreign troops and military equipment from
Ukraine, including mercenaries, and the disarmament of militia
groups.
All-night session
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier voiced cautious
optimism after Thursday's deal, which came after 17 hours of
talks.
"We have not achieved everything, but at least there is a ceasefire.
This also includes agreements on securing the eastern borders of
Ukraine, elections and the exchange of prisoners," he said in a
statement.
"It is a chance to move away from escalation and towards political
momentum."
In a joint declaration, released by the German government, the four
leaders stated "their full respect for the sovereignty and territorial
integrity of Ukraine" and that they "firmly believe that there is no
alternative to an exclusively peaceful settlement."
The leaders "will use their influence on relevant parties" to ensure
the package of measures are put in place, the declaration said.
"Leaders share the conviction that improved cooperation between the
EU, Ukraine and Russia will be conducive to the crisis settlement,"
it added.
To that end, the three parties will hold further talks on energy
supply and a possible free trade deal between Ukraine and the
European Union, which is of concern to Russia, it said.
Poroshenko: Ukraine will remain a united
state
The question of Ukraine's territorial integrity and sovereignty was
a key issue going into the talks.
Russia annexed its southeastern Crimea region last spring, shortly
before separatists in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions declared their
independence from Kiev, triggering months of conflict.
"Ukraine will always be a unitary state. No federalisation
whatsoever! #UnitedForUkraine," Poroshenko tweeted after the deal
was announced.
In a post on his Facebook page, he said that "we did not agree to
a single ultimatum" and that the ceasefire would be implemented
regardless of any previous agreements.
The German- and French-led peace initiative was prompted by
worsening fighting between separatists and Ukrainian government
forces in recent weeks, threatening not only the lives of more
civilians, but the stability of the region.
CNN's Nick Paton Walsh in the Donetsk region said separatist
fighters that his team spoke to had learned of the ceasefire deal
from CNN -- and were highly skeptical of any promises made.
The noise of shelling could still be heard Thursday, and there was
no obvious change in the tempo of the combat, he said.
A separatist fighter who spoke to CNN in Dukuchayevsk, not far
from Donetsk city, said: "Ukrainians won't have a ceasefire.
Ukraine armed forces, I mean. We can resolve this conflict only
one way: Ukraine withdraws its armed forces from the territory of
the Donetsk Republic. That's the only possible way."
It's possible that the separatists may seek to seize further
territory before Sunday. Since the Ukrainian forces have to
withdraw their weapons from the current front line as the ceasefire
comes into effect, the separatists stand to keep hold of significant
territory they've won in recent weeks.
A spokesman for the National Defense and Security Council of
Ukraine told CNN on Thursday that two Ukrainian soldiers had
been killed and 21 injured in the past 24 hours. Russian tanks,
rocket launchers and armored personnel carriers had also crossed
the border from Russia into Ukraine overnight, he said.
Russia has steadfastly denied accusations that it is sending forces
and weapons into Ukraine. But top Western and Ukrainian leaders
have said there isn't any doubt that Russia is behind surging
violence and separatists' efforts to take over territory in eastern
Ukraine.
IMF: New $17.5 billion program for
Ukraine
Meanwhile, International Monetary Fund director Christine Lagarde
on Thursday announced a new IMF bailout package that's worth
$17.5 billion over the next four years. It has still to be approved
by the board of directors.
"Over the past year, despite the challenging environment, the
Ukrainian authorities have clearly shown their commitment to
ambitious reform on several key fronts," Lagarde said in a
statement.
These include strong fiscal discipline and moves to strengthen anti-
corruption measures.
The deal replaces a separate $17 billion bailout agreed to last year
by the IMF. Only $4.5 billion of those funds were distributed,
bringing the IMF's total commitment to $22 billion.
The crisis in Ukraine, which stemmed from a trade agreement, has
forced more than 1.5 million people from their homes , according to
the United Nations.
http://edition.cnn.com/2015/02/12/europe/ukraine-conflict/index.html