New Ukraine Ceasefire Announced In Minsk.

Crisis talks to end the conflict in east Ukraine have resulted in the announcement on 12 February of a ceasefire.

New Ukraine Ceasefire Announced In Minsk.

The ceasefire is scheduled to begin at midnight on 15 February, and is understood to include the withdrawal of heavy weapons, prisoner transfers, and an agreement towards a longer-lasting settlement.

The talks were hosted by Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko in Minsk and involved the 'Normandy Four' group of Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko, Russian president Vladimir Putin, German chancellor Angela Merkel, and French president Francois Hollande.

Merkel stated in a press conference after the talks ended on 12 February, "We now have a glimmer of hope, we have agreed on a comprehensive implementation of Minsk," but noted that "there are still major hurdles that lie ahead".

The new ceasefire deal follows the breakdown of the previous 12-point Minsk Protocols, signed on 5 September 2014, and broadly covers their re-implementation.

"The comprehensive political settlement covers all contentious issues, ranging from the ceasefire through to border control, on issues of decentralisation, of course, the withdrawal of heavy weapons and the resumption of economic relations," stated Hollande. He thanked Poroshenko for his engagement in the process and thanked Putin for having "exercised the necessary pressure on the separatists into signing".