Ceasefire In Eastern Ukraine From Sunday

A ceasefire in eastern Ukraine has been agreed after all-night talks in Belarus involving the leaders of Russia, Ukraine, France and Germany.

It will come into effect on Sunday 15 February and will be followed by the withdrawal of heavy weapons, Russian President Vladimir Putin said.

"We have managed to agree on the main things," he told reporters after the talks, which began on Wednesday evening and lasted 16 hours.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said: "The main thing which has been achieved is that from Saturday into Sunday there should be declared without any conditions at all, a general ceasefire."

The truce was signed in Minsk by the so-called "contact group" comprising pro-Russian separatist leaders, Russian and Ukrainian envoys and European mediators.

A previous truce signed last September collapsed soon after.

The key points of the latest agreement are:

:: A general ceasefire to start on Sunday

:: Heavy weapons to be pulled back from a division line determined by both sides

:: Ukraine to take control of the border with Russia

:: The provision of special status for the rebel regions

:: Measures for addressing the humanitarian crisis affecting thousands of civilians caught up in the fighting

Mr Putin said there was still disagreement over Debaltseve, a key transport hub and the centre of fierce fighting.

He understood rebels had surrounded up to 8,000 Ukrainian troops and expected them to lay down arms ahead of the ceasefire, but Mr Poroshenko disputed this.

The ceasefire deal was welcomed by French President Francois Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who led the discussions.

Mrs Merkel said it offered a "glimmer of hope" that the conflict, which has claimed over 5,300 lives since April, would come to an end.

However, she added that "concrete steps must of course be taken and there will still be big hurdles ahead".

Her concerns were echoed by Mr Hollande who said the next few hours would be "decisive".

More asset freezes and travel bans will come into force on Monday, despite the agreement.

They had been on hold until the talks were concluded, but now 14 Ukrainians and five Russians are set to be added to the list of people subject to sanctions.

The White House has also hailed the deal as a "potentially significant step" but insisted Russia had to withdraw all its resources from the conflict zone.

David Cameron, who attended the EU summit with the leaders in Brussels on Thursday afternoon, said: "If this is a genuine ceasefire, then of course that would be welcome. But what matters most of all is actually actions on the ground rather than just words on a piece of paper.

"I think we should be very clear that Vladimir Putin needs to know that unless his behaviour changes, the sanctions we have in place won't be altered."

An exchange in Brussels between Mr Cameron and Mr Poroshenko, that was caught on camera after the deal, suggested there were doubts a ceasefire could be achieved.

Mr Poroshenko was overheard telling Mr Cameron: "I can't imagine Putin can act like this."

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Gallery: Ukraine Crisis: Fighting Increases (February 11)

Local residents look at the remains of a rocket shell on a street in the town of Kramatorsk, eastern Ukraine

Seven civilians have been killed and 26 wounded in rocket strikes on the town of Kramatorsk

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