Russia, Ukraine agree to keep ceasefire, new talks next month

Envoys from Moscow and Kyiv on Wednesday committed to a fragile ceasefire in eastern Ukraine during talks in Paris and agreed to continue their discussions against the backdrop of warnings that Russia may be preparing to invade its neighbour.
 
  A Russian troop build-up close to the border with eastern Ukraine has raised fears the Kremlin is planning to intervene in its pro-EU neighbour to halt NATO's expansion in eastern Europe.
 
  A French diplomat said that more than eight hours of discussions brokered by France and Germany had sent a "good signal".
 
  A German government source later confirmed that the next round would take place in Berlin in the second week of February.

An aide to French President Emmanuel Macron, speaking on condition of anonymity, stressed that the talks had been about resolving the separatist fighting in eastern Ukraine since 2014, not the threat of a Russian invasion.
 
  But "the question was whether the Russians wanted to signal a thaw", he said, adding that the "difficult" discussions had ultimately resulted in something positive.
 
  "In the current circumstances, we received a good signal," he said.
 
  For the first time since 2019, Ukraine and Russia agreed to sign a joint statement along with France and Germany about the ongoing conflict between Ukrainian forces and separatists in the east of the country.
 
  The four nations have been working towards reaching a peace deal for eastern Ukraine since 2014 and are known collectively as the Normandy Group.

NS

 

Russia, Ukraine agree to keep ceasefire, new talks next month

Envoys from Moscow and Kyiv on Wednesday committed to a fragile ceasefire in eastern Ukraine during talks in Paris and agreed to continue their discussions against the backdrop of warnings that Russia may be preparing to invade its neighbour. A Russian troop build-up close to the border with eastern Ukraine has raised fears the Kremlin is planning to intervene in its pro-EU neighbour to halt NATOs expansion in eastern Europe. A French diplomat said that more than eight hours of discussions brokered by France and Germany had sent a good signal. A German government source later confirmed that the next round would take place in Berlin in the second week of February. An aide to French President Emmanuel Macron, speaking on condition of anonymity, stressed that the talks had been about resolving the separatist fighting in eastern Ukraine since 2014, not the threat of a Russian invasion. But the question was whether the Russians wanted to signal a thaw, he said, adding that the difficult discussions had ultimately resulted in something positive. In the current circumstances, we received a good signal, he said. For the first time since 2019, Ukraine and Russia agreed to sign a joint statement along with France and Germany about the ongoing conflict between Ukrainian forces and separatists in the east of the country. The four nations have been working towards reaching a peace deal for eastern Ukraine since 2014 and are known collectively as the Normandy Group. NS