Donbass ceasefire agreed in Minsk

The tripartite meeting of the contact group (Ukraine - Russia - OSCE), was held on February 10 in Minsk. It was attended by representatives of the breakaway republics of PRD and PRL. The following people arrived in the Belarusian capital: Ex-President of Ukraine Leonid Kuchma, Russian Ambassador to Ukraine Mikhail Zurabov, OSCE Special Representative Heidi Tagliavini, the representatives of the self-proclaimed PRD and PRL Denis Pushylin and Vladislav Deynega. The event took place in the Dipservice Hall in Vaiskovy alley. 

According to BelTA, at the meeting (which lasted about 2 hours) a scheme  of heavy weapons withdrawal and cease-fire agreement as well as control mecanism over its execution were agreed. The participants discussed the state structure of Donbass State and holding of local elections there.

As Pushylin told RIA Novosti, representatives of the self-proclaimed republics spread among other participants in the negotiations a draft protocol on the settlement of the conflict in Ukraine.

The previous meeting of the Contact Group was held in Minsk on January 31. Following the meeting, Kuchma said that the negotiations failed. 

On February 11, Minsk will host a meeting in the "Normandy format", dedicated to the situation in Donbass. It will be attended by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Francois Hollande, the president of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Today's meeting is to pave the way for tomorrow's talks.

On Tuesday, gunmen opened artillery fire from  Kramatorsk in the Donetsk region, which is controlled by Ukrainian troops. 15 people were killed, 63 injured, including 5 children. In turn, the Ukrainian military and volunteers from the Azov regiment conducted an offensive in the area of Mariupol and moved 20 kilometers to the east liberating a few settlements.

Photo: Reuters, BELTA