Ukraine and pro-Russia rebels sign ceasefire deal
Friday, 5 September 2014
The Ukrainian government and pro-Russian rebels have signed a truce deal to end almost five months of fighting, according to a news agency.
The two sides, meeting in Belarusian capital Minsk, agreed to stop firing by 15:00 GMT. However, the rebels said the truce had not changed their policy of advocating separation from Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Nato has agreed to form a multi-national "spearhead" force capable of deploying within 48 hours.
More than 2,600 people have died since rebels stormed several eastern cities.
The takeover 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.