[Breaking news update at 4:34 a.m. ET]
Germany’s Foreign Office announced Thursday on Twitter that an agreement has been reached in four-way talks on the Ukraine crisis in Minsk, Belarus.
[Last update posted at 4:32 a.m. ET]
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that the parties taking part in Ukraine peace talks in Minsk, Belarus, have agreed to a ceasefire starting February 15.
“I call on both sides to end the bloodshed as soon as possible” and come to a real political solution to the conflict, he told reporters in Minsk, adding that all sides have agreed to pull back heavy weapons.
Putin’s remarks come after conflicting reports Thursday morning from the marathon overnight session.
While Russian state media reported that talks between Ukraine, Russia, France and Germany had ended and leaders were expected to sign a 10-point agreement, Ukraine’s President begged to differ.
“There is no good news yet,” Petro Poroshenko said, according to a government Twitter account.
Any deal is expected to cover the withdrawal of heavy weapons, the creation of a demilitarized zone and the future status of the Donbass area in eastern Ukraine.
Representatives of the three other nations involved have not commented on the status of the talks.
Earlier, RIA Novosti reported that the negotiators have “agreed by 80%,” following an all-night session in Minsk, Belarus. What’s uncertain is what’s in the remaining 20%.
“It gives the impression at the moment that they have not been able to reach a full deal, that they are prepared or preparing to park this deal whereby a significant percentage of an agreement has been made,” CNN’s Nic Robertson reported from Minsk.
The stakes are high in these talks.
Not only has war raged for months in eastern Ukraine, where pro-Russian rebels angry about political upheaval in Kiev have declared their independence, but it’s getting worse, threatening not only the lives of more civilians, but the stability of the region.
A previous deal was signed in September, also in Minsk. It called for a drawback of heavy weapons, greater autonomy in the eastern Luhansk and Donetsk regions and a buffer zone along the Russia-Ukraine border.
The September agreement quickly disintegrated, and the violence continued.
The new plan envisions a much broader demilitarized zone to run along the current front lines.
Russia has steadfastly denied accusations that it is sending forces and weapons into Ukraine. But top Western and Ukrainian leaders have said there isn’t any doubt that Russia is behind surging violence and separatists’ efforts to take over territory in eastern Ukraine.
IMF: New $17.5 billion program for Ukraine
IMF director Christine Lagarde on Thursday announced a new IMF program to support economic reform in Ukraine that’s worth $17.5 billion over four years.
“Over the past year, despite the challenging environment, the Ukrainian authorities have clearly shown their commitment to ambitious reform on several key fronts,” Lagarde said in a statement.
These include strong fiscal discipline, efforts to reduce the country’s heavily subsidized household gas prices and moves to strengthen anti-corruption measures.
“This new program offers an important opportunity for Ukraine to move its economy forward at a critical moment in the country’s history,” Lagarde said. But it is also “subject to high risks,” she said, because of the geopolitical developments in the east.
The crisis in Ukraine, which stemmed from a trade agreement, has claimed the lives of more than 5,000 people and forced more than 1.5 million from their homes, according to the United Nations.