File photo: (Front Left to Right) Russia's President Vladimir Putin, France's Francois Hollande, Ukrain's Petro Poroshenko and German Chancellor Angela Merkel. (AFP)
Minsk:
Germany, France, Russia and Ukraine agreed a deal offering a "glimmer of hope" for an end to conflict in eastern Ukraine on Thursday, but the United States said continued, intense fighting ran counter to the spirit of the accord.
The deal, announced after more than 16 hours of discussions through the night in the Belarussian capital Minsk, was followed swiftly by allegations from Kiev of a new, mass influx of Russian armour into rebel-held eastern Ukraine.
It envisages a ceasefire between Ukrainian forces and Russian-backed separatists from Sunday, the withdrawal of heavy weapons from the front line, and constitutional reform to give eastern Ukraine more autonomy.
Fighting has intensified in recent days as the rebels try to take control of Debaltseve, a strategic transport hub that would link the two separatist-controlled areas of eastern Ukraine, where elections are envisaged under the accord.
The White House, under pressure from Congress to provide arms to the stretched Ukrainian military, said the deal was "potentially significant" but urged Russia to withdraw soldiers and equipment and give Ukraine back control over its border.
"The United States is particularly concerned about the escalation of fighting today, which is inconsistent with the spirit of the accord," it said in a statement.
Looking for Putin
The talks were the culmination of a dramatic initiative by France and Germany following an upsurge in fighting in which the separatists tore through an earlier ceasefire line.
Russian President Vladimir Putin accused Kiev of prolonging the negotiations, which seemed close to failure at several points through the night.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Ukraine's Petro Poroshenko "did everything to achieve the possibility of an end to the bloodshed", while she said Putin pressured the rebels to agree to the truce "towards the end" of the talks.
"This is a glimmer of hope, no more no less," Merkel told reporters on arriving, straight from the talks in Minsk, at a European Union summit in Brussels. "It is very important that words are followed by actions."
Russia's RIA news agency quoted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying the talks were "tough and very emotional".
The accord could delay the imposition of new sanctions against Moscow, although the US State Department said it had not taken any options off the table. Secretary of State John Kerry said sanctions could be eased if it was implemented.
More than 5,000 people have been killed in the conflict, which has surged in the past few weeks with more than 70 Ukrainian servicemen and at least 24 civilians killed so far this month, according to Reuters calculations based on official Ukrainian figures.
A Ukrainian military spokesman said around 50 tanks, 40 missile systems and 40 armoured vehicles had crossed overnight into eastern Ukraine from Russia. It was not immediately possible to verify the figures, which were higher than in previous such statements. Moscow dismisses them as groundless.
NATO has said there is overwhelming evidence of Russian armour entering Ukraine but declined to comment on the latest report.
"The intensity of fighting is evidenced by a sharp increase in the number of people trying to leave front-line towns," spokesman Andriy Lysenko said in a daily briefing held on Thursday before the deal was announced.
Rebel fighters accuse Kiev of shelling civilian areas, an accusation the Ukrainian military rejects.
The fighting has destabilised Ukraine both militarily and economically. As the deal was reached,Ukraine was offered a $40-billion lifeline by the International Monetary Fund to stave off financial collapse.
Russia's economy has also suffered, from the sanctions imposed over its support for the separatists in eastern Ukraine and annexation of Ukraine's Crimea region last year. Russian shares surged on Thursday after the deal was announced and the rouble gained, but then slipped back.
Weapons withdrawal
The agreement addressed some of the main stumbling points, including a "demarcation line" between separatists and Ukrainian forces, which the rebels wanted to reflect gains from a recent offensive that shredded an earlier ceasefire deal.
The compromise was that the rebels will withdraw weapons from a line set by the earlier Minskagreement in September, while the Ukrainians will withdraw from the current frontline, creating a 50 km (30 mile)-wide "buffer zone".
Ukraine will also get control of its border with Russia, but in consultation with the rebels and only after the regions gain more autonomy under constitutional reform by the end of 2015.
The ceasefire and heavy weapons pullback would be overseen by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, a Europe-wide security body.
French President Francois Hollande, who also took part in the negotiations, said there was still much work to be done on the Ukraine crisis, but the agreement was a real chance to improve the situation. "The coming hours will be decisive," he said later in Brussels.
In a glimpse into the dynamics of the talks, he and Merkel were seen getting into a lift in the cavernous Soviet-era palace where they were held during the night. Asked where they were going, an aide said: "They are going to look for Putin."
Pro-Moscow separatists tightened the pressure on Kiev by launching some of the war's worst fighting on Wednesday, killing 19 Ukrainian soldiers in assaults near the railway town of Debaltseve.
On Thursday, senior rebel commander Eduard Basurin said his side would deliver on the ceasefire but that in the meantime Ukrainian troops should surrender Debaltseve. He said the separatists were holding "counter-attack" operations to prevent the soldiers breaking out.
He accused Ukrainian rebels of shelling the rebel-held city of Donetsk four times, killing two civilians, and said five rebel troops had been killed and 11 wounded in the past 24 hours.
As the fighting has escalated, Washington has begun openly talking of arming Ukraine to defend itself from "Russian aggression", raising the prospect of a proxy war in the heart of Europebetween Cold War foes.
Kiev and NATO accuse Russia of supplying separatists with men and weapons. Moscow denies it is involved in fighting for territory Putin calls "New Russia".
As the French and German leaders' peace initiative was announced, pro-Russian rebels appeared determined to drive home their advantage ahead of a deal.
Armoured columns of Russian-speaking soldiers with no insignia have been advancing for days around Debaltseve, which has seen heavy fighting in recent days.
On the Russian side of the border, Moscow has begun military exercises in 12 regions involving more than 30 missile regiments, RIA news agency reported on Thursday, citing a Defence Ministry official.
© Thomson Reuters 2015
Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world
