KIEV: Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko on Friday ordered his army commanders to halt fire in Kiev's five-month campaign against pro-Russian insurgents at 1500 GMT under the terms of a new truce deal.
"I am ordering the head of the general staff of the armed forces of Ukraine to halt fire starting at 6 pm (1500 GMT)," Poroshenko said in a statement published on his official website.
The agreement on a ceasefire with pro-Russian separatists to stem months of bloodshed came as European officials prepared to consider more penalties on Russia for its role in the conflict.
A Ukrainian serviceman loads a shell onto a tank at a checkpoint in the southern coastal town of Mariupol on Friday. (Reuters Photo)
Ceasefire talks in Minsk, the capital of Belarus, included representatives of Ukraine, the self-proclaimed people’s republics of Donetsk and Luhansk, and the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).
Mr Poroshenko had cancelled a summer truce on July 1 after his government cited more than 100 violations by the separatists.
A lasting truce would be the biggest breakthrough yet in the conflict, which has killed more than 2,600 people and soured Russia’s relations with its former Cold War foes to the worst in more than two decades.
Ukraine, the United States and Europe say President Vladimir Putin is backing the insurgency in Donetsk and Luhansk with financing, weapons and manpower. Russia denies any involvement.
The ceasefire announcement comes as representatives of the 28 EU governments meet in Brussels to consider tightening the economic sanctions that were imposed on Russia in July. Proposals include barring some Russian state-owned defense and energy companies from raising capital in the EU, a UK official said.