Ukraine agreement reached

Al Jazeera America - The leaders of Russia, Ukraine, France and Germany emerged from marathon talks in Minsk on Thursday with what they said was a comprehensive peace deal for eastern Ukraine, but disagreement over a key flashpoint still exist and it remains to be seen if this truce can succeed where past ones have failed.

Vladimir Putin told reporters that a cease-fire would be effective starting from Sunday. As part of the deal special status would be granted for the pro-Moscow rebel regions in Ukraine’s east and consensus had also been reached over border controls and humanitarian issues, the Russian president added.

It “was not the best night in my life,” Putin said, but the morning had been good “because we have managed to agree on the main things despite all the difficulties of the negotiations."
His Ukrainian counterpart, Petro Poroshenko, however, denied that there was any agreement over autonomy for breakaway regions. The two also disagreed over a key battleground in the crisis, the government-held town of Debaltseve.

A key transport hub between the two main rebel-controlled cities in the east, Debaltseve has been the focus of intense fighting in recent weeks as the rebels sought to encircle the Ukrainian troops there.

Putin said that the rebels consider the Ukrainian forces defending the town to be surrounded and expect them to surrender. Ukraine disagrees with that assessment.
Clarifying the situation in Debaltseve remains a hurdle if the latest cease-fire is to be successful. Previous attempts to forge peace have fallen short of ending the violence that has resulted in the deaths of 5,300 combatants and civilians since April.