New Ceasefire

From the BBC:
"Ukraine and pro-Russia rebels sign ceasefire deal"

Ukraine and pro-Russian rebels in the east have signed a truce deal to end almost five months of fighting. The two sides agreed to stop firing by 15:00 GMT and the truce appeared to be holding. But the rebels said the truce had not changed their policy of advocating splitting from Ukraine. Meanwhile EU ambassadors have expanded a list of Russian and pro-Russian individuals targeted by sanctions. More than 2,600 people have died since rebels stormed several eastern cities. The takeover - which followed the annexation by Russia of the southern Crimea peninsula in March - prompted a military operation by Ukrainian forces to retake the cities. The rebels, who had largely been pushed back towards their strongholds of Donetsk and Luhansk, made new advances in recent days.  Earlier in the day, fighting was reported around Donetsk and Mariupol, a coastal city about 110km (70 miles) to the south. Witnesses said three large explosions were heard in Donetsk just before the ceasefire came into force. The ceasefire talks in Minsk, Belarus, were brokered by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), and involved a former Ukrainian president, leaders of the pro-Russian rebels, and a Russian delegate. Both sides agreed to stop fighting, and the OSCE said it would monitor the ceasefire. However, the full agreement has not been published. President Petro Poroshenko said the ceasefire was based on a 12-point peace plan that included the release of "hostages", which he said would probably happen on Saturday. "It is very important that this ceasefire lasts long, and during this ceasefire we continue the political dialogue to bring peace and stability," he said. "The only reason that we're seeing this ceasefire... is because of both the sanctions that have already been applied and the threat of further sanctions" Russian President Vladimir Putin had been told of the plan during a phone call, he added. In another development, Nato agreed to form a multi-national "spearhead" force capable of deploying within 48 hours. At the close of a two-day summit in Wales, Nato chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen said Russia's actions in Ukraine had been a wake-up call for the alliance, and had spurred the formation of the rapid-reaction force. He welcomed the ceasefire, saying he hoped it "could be the start of a constructive political process". However, Russia's foreign ministry reacted angrily to Nato's announcements. "The essence and tone of [Nato] statements on the Ukraine situation, and the plans announced to hold joint Nato exercises with Kiev on the territory of that country before the end of 2014, will inevitably lead to heightened tension," a statement said. European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said in a statement on Friday that the EU had expanded the list of persons under an EU asset freeze and travel ban to include the new leadership in eastern Ukraine, the Crimean government and Russian decision-makers and oligarchs. The sanctions are due to be formally adopted on Monday. However, diplomats quoted by Reuters said the measures could be suspended if the ceasefire held and if Moscow withdrew forces from Ukraine. Earlier, US President Barack Obama said the ceasefire had been agreed because of sanctions imposed on Russia. Measures against Russia would be reviewed in line with the implementation of the ceasefire, which he said would be a very long process.

^ Let's see if both Russia and the ethnic-Russian terrorists will follow this new ceasefire or if they will simply use it to bring more troops and equipment into the region. ^

 http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-29082574