Ceasefire holds in Ukraine amid reports of ‘violations’ by both sides

After more than four months of bloodshed, a ceasefire in Ukraine’s rebellious east largely held back fighting Saturday, but appeared fragile as both sides of the conflict claimed the others had violated the agreement. A statement from Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko’s appeared to make glancing reference to the ceasefire’s tentativeness, saying he and Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed steps “for giving the cease-fire a stable character” in a telephone conversation Saturday. But, it said, both leaders assessed the cease-fire as having been “fulfilled as a whole.”

We are very pleased and happy that we managed to take the first steps to change the military situation into a political discussion.

Alexander Zakharchenko, separatist leader from the Donetsk region

The new ceasefire, which went into effect on Friday evening, includes a stop to “active offensive operations” by both the Ukrainian military and pro-Russian rebels. U.S. President Barack Obama said he was “hopeful” but “sceptical” about the ceasefire. Speaking at the Nato summit, he confirmed that the European Union was putting together the final details of a renewed sanction plan. Russia’s foreign ministry responded angrily to reports of fresh sanctions, promising an unspecified “reaction” if they were introduced.

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