Ukraine and rebels sign ceasfire
The government of Ukraine and pro-Russian separatists that have been fighting for dominance in eastern Ukraine have reached a ceasefire agreement, despite intense fighting between both sides in the hours leading up to its start.
Bloomberg reports that the ceasefire will take effect at 6 p.m. local time. The ceasefire was announced by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe after a series of talks between representatives of pro-Russian rebels and Ukraine in the city of Minsk, Belarus.
The agreement for a ceasefire comes just days after the French government announced it was indefinitely suspending the delivery of two Mistral-class amphibious assault ships to the Russian government. It also comes on the heels of a NATO meeting in the United Kingdom where the members of NATO agreed to the creation of a rapid response force to cope with crises in Eastern Europe.
Reuters reports that even as the ceasefire agreement was reached, fighting continued in two areas that have been the focus of conflict between the two sides.
In the city of Donetsk, the de facto capital of the pro-Russian separatists, shelling could be heard in a number of the city's neighborhoods. Reuters reports fighting has been especially fierce near the Donetsk airport, but rebel forces have not been able to pry it out of the Ukrainian military's grasp.
In the coastal city of Mariupol, pro-Russian forces have entered the city limits after the seizure of a nearby coastal town at the end of Aug. 2014. Mariupol is strategically important because of its port and the fact that it lies on crucial rail lines that connect it to the rest of the country. If it were to fall into rebel hands, they would have a much easier time resupplying their compatriots in besieged towns and cities such as Donetsk and Luhansk.
