Ukraine, Russia agree on temporary Donetsk ceasefire
Ukraine’s military says its forces and Russian generals have agreed on a temporary ceasefire around the airport in rebel-held Donetsk that has been the focus of fighting for months.
A pro-Russian rebel leader has confirmed to AFP that top-level negotiations are in process. But he stressed no final agreement was expected before Tuesday.
Residents around the airport said a lull in the fighting that has been raging on a nearly-daily basis ensued shortly after the negotiations began.
Any truce agreement concerning the hotly-disputed site would mark one of the most tangible achievements of a general ceasefire that the two sides agreed three months ago but that never took full force.
The press office of Ukraine’s “anti-terrorist operation” in the largely Russian speaking east said an agreement to suspend military operations was reached after 24 hours of fighting that killed at least three government soldiers.
“We have just learned that as a result of negotiations between the heads of the joint Russian-Ukrainian centre near the Donetsk airport, the fire has come to a halt,” the Ukrainian military statement said.
A top pro-Russian separatist leader confirmed to AFP that negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv representatives were in progress.
“I intend to take part in the final negotiations on Tuesday,” Donetsk separatist co-leader Andrei Purgin said by telephone.
Russian military envoys and their Ukrainian counterparts have held periodic meetings since late August in a bid to agree on conditions that could calm some of the bloodiest battles and demarcate territory between the two sides’ forces.
AFP