Ukraine ceasefire with Russian rebels takes hold; Obama says he’s skeptical

A cease-fire began Friday night in eastern Ukraine after the president’s representative signed a deal with Russian-backed separatists in an effort to bring an end to nearly five months of fighting. President Petro Poroshenko said he ordered government forces to stop hostilities at 6 p.m. local time following a protocol signed by representatives of Ukraine, Russia, the rebels and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe at talks in Minsk, the Belarusian capital. Donetsk separatists said on Twitter that they also have ceased fire.

Human life is of the highest value. And we need to do everything that is possible and impossible to stop the bloodshed and end people’s suffering.

Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko

After announcing the cease-fire, negotiators met for two more hours and agreed upon the withdrawal of all heavy weaponry, the release of all prisoners and the delivery of humanitarian aid to devastated cities in eastern Ukraine, Heidi Tagliavini of the OSCE told reporters in Minsk. Mikhail Zurabov, the Russian ambassador to Ukraine who also signed the deal, described the exchange of lists of more than 1,000 prisoners from each side as a “breakthrough.” Poroshenko said a prisoner exchange could begin as early as Saturday and international monitors from the OSCE would keep watch over the cease-fire. With this deal, Russian President Vladimir Putin may hope to avert a new round of Western sanctions. U.S. President Barack Obama said he was hopeful the cease-fire would hold, but skeptical that the rebels would follow through and that Russia would stop violating Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

It has to be tested.

U.S. President Barack Obama

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