Warring sides in Ukraine agree on ceasefire

Warring sides in Ukraine agree on ceasefire

MINSK -- Representatives of Ukraine and the self-proclaimed People's Republics of Donetsk and Lugansk have signed a protocol on a ceasefire, reports RT.

The truce should begin at 18:00 local time.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has confirmed that agreement was reached on a ceasefire, the BBC reports.

According to this, he has already issued an order to the Ukrainian army to cease fire at the said time.

The protocol includes 14 points, including all aspects of control, exchange of prisoners, and various other matters, said the Intefax news agency.

At the same time fighting continued in Mariupol on Friday, while five people were killed in the shelling of Donetsk.

The ceasefire agreement was reached in Minsk, Belarus, where the Contact Group to set up to resolve the Ukrainian crisis was meeting.

Meanwhile, the West is preparing new sanctions against Russia, which it accuses of sending arms and troops to the east of Ukraine. Russia denies these allegations.

On Friday, leaders of NATO member states adopted a plan on forming a rapid reaction strike force that will be deployed in Eastern Europe.

The Ukrainian crisis, riots and clashes have been ongoing for several months, and according to the UN, from mid-April until recently more than 2,600 people lost their lives and about 6,000 were wounded.