Well, the last Minsk truce lasted about as long as the press statement announcing the deal, the all night series of meetings had its ups and downs and near announcement of failure early in the morning. I wonder what completed this agreement? Most likely Europe’s values to avoid a unnecessary proxy war at its frontier. Obama must have had a restless night’s sleep communicating neocon views to Ukraine’s president Poroshenko. Merkel and Hollande didn’t budge and pushed forward … for peace.
Ukraine’s warring parties agree to February 15 ceasefire | France24 |
The warring parties in Ukraine agreed Thursday to a February 15 ceasefire and the withdrawal of heavy weapons from the front lines in a deal French President François Hollande called a “comprehensive political solution” after marathon talks in Minsk.
Speaking to reporters after almost 16 hours of talks between the leaders of Ukraine, Russia, France and Germany in the Belarusian capital Minsk, Putin said: “We have managed to agree on the main issues,” adding that a ceasefire would come into effect at midnight on February 15.
“The second point, which I believe to be extremely important, is the withdrawal of heavy weapons from today’s line of contact for Ukrainian troops and from the line stipulated in the September 19 Minsk Agreements for Donbass rebels,” he said.
French President François Hollande called the deal a “comprehensive political solution” and said it provides “serious hope, even if all is not done”.
“All matters are addressed by this document,” Hollande told journalists, standing alongside German Chancellor Angela Merkel after marathon talks with Putin and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko.
But Putin also stressed the importance of constitutional reform in Ukraine and the introduction of a “special status” for the rebel-held areas in the industrial east, while calling for “restraint”.
‘A relief for Europe’
continued below the fold …
‘A relief for Europe’ | Deutsche Welle |
In a joint statement, the four leaders reaffirmed “their full respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine” and their belief that there was “no alternative to an exclusively peaceful settlement.”
The French president called the deal “a relief for Europe” and said the agreement addresses all issues including those of “decentralization, border control and removal of heavy weapons.”
Merkel, however, emphasized that there was “a lot of work to be done.” But she also said she was hopeful the situation could be changed for the better. “We have earnest hope for Ukraine and also for Europe,” she said.
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier was restrained about the deal, “We expect that they desist from anything in the especially sensitive phase until the ceasefire comes into effect that could undermine today’s agreements.”
The four leaders of the Normandy format – the French name for the Ukraine contact group – also decided to establish a monitoring mission to oversee the enforcement of the ceasefire.
My previous diaries:
○ “Guten Tag Washington. Now, About Those CIA Flights …” | Nov. 2005 |
○ Amazing Chancellor Angela Merkel ¶ Takes Germans By Pleasant Surprise | Jan. 2006 |
○ Putin’s Denunciation of US policy at Munich Conference | Feb. 2007 |
