It took 16 hours of negotiations in Minsk to reach a new agreement in the Ukrainian case. This agreement is expected to bring about a cease-fire from Sunday midnight. It provides for the withdrawal, within two weeks, fighters and heavy weapons, the establishment of an extended buffer zone of 50 to 70 km along the front line, and the release of prisoners. This roadmap was signed by Kiev and the representatives of the pro-Russian rebels. The negotiators ensured that the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine will be respected.
Discussions gathered Russian Presidents Vladimir Putin, Ukraine Petro Poroshenko, French François Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
The feeling that prevails today is that yes, all is not settled with this Agreement "Minsk 2", far from it, but the parties are on the right path. This is the meaning of the reaction of the German ruling this morning in Minsk.
"There is now a glimmer of hope, she said. We have an agreement that sets a general framework. But we must now take concrete steps, and there are still major obstacles to overcome. But what we can say is that there is some hope. And it's better than if we did nothing. "
Hope, but not euphoric. So this is the message reported in Minsk by the French and German leaders, arrived in the early afternoon in Brussels to attend the European summit.
"There was an agreement; it could have been a failure, commented Francois Hollande. But the agreement does not guarantee that there will in the coming days lasting success. This requires that we continue to be vigilant, to exercise pressure and to continue the movement that was initiated thanks to the initiative that the Chancellor and myself we launched. "
The most pessimistic that remind of Minsk, an agreement on a cease-fire had been signed in September, but on the ground, the truce of "Minsk 1" was never respected ...
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