13 Feb 2015

Will there be peace in Ukraine after Minsk deal?

Further deaths and casualties are reported in eastern Ukraine in the past 24 hours, a day after a four-power peace deal was reached in Minsk.

Eight Ukrainian service personnel have been killed and 34 wounded in fighting against separatists around Debaltseve, in the past 24 hours, a Kiev military spokesman said.

“In the Donbass (eastern Ukraine), this night was not a calm one. The enemy shelled positions of the ‘anti-terrorist operation’ forces with the same intensity as before,” a statement by the military said.

Read Alex Thomson's blog: Kiev sceptical about ceasefire deal

Fighting had been particularly intense around Debaltseve in Donetsk, a key railway junction linking the two main rebel areas, where separatists had used rockets and artillery to attack government forces holding the town, military spokesman Vladyslav Seleznyov added.

‘Not ruling out sanctions’

The reported shelling came as a ceasefire was agreed in the Belarusian capital yesterday, which is due to begin in eastern Ukraine after midnight (22:00 GMT) on Saturday.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and president of the EU Council Donald Tusk warned of further measures-widely interpreted as more sanctions – should the ceasefire fail.

In a statement following the agreement, Ms Merkel said: “We have to try to take this peace process further. Ukraine’s president made clear this is the most important thing for his country. But we are very aware that it will take a lot of effort. Therefore we are open to all possible reactions.

“If it goes well, we will happily go forward with this process. But if there are difficulties, we are not ruling out additional sanctions.”

Doubts remain about the peace deal, which was agreed following marathon negotiations between Russia, Ukraine, Germany and France. Pro-Russian rebels have signed the agreement, which also includes weapon withdrawals and prisoner exchanges, but key issues remain to be settled.