After all-night talks between the leaders of Germany, France, Ukraine and Russia,... there is now an agreement for a ceasefire to end the fighting in eastern Ukraine.
Our Kim Min-ji reports.
Peace talks aimed at ending the deadly fighting in eastern Ukraine have concluded with a breakthrough.
A ceasefire is set to be implemented starting midnight on February 15th in parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
The agreement was reached after a 16-hour talk between leaders of Russia, Ukraine, France and Germany.
"It wasn′t the very best night of my life, but the morning in my view was kind, because despite all of the difficulties in the process, we managed to agree on the main issues."
"I can say that everything was difficult, and in fact various unacceptable conditions were put to us conditions of retreat, of surrender."
The specifics will now need to be ironed out,... but the deal also calls for government and rebel forces to withdraw their heavy weapons from the front lines to create a buffer zone of 50 kilometers.
The plan also calls for constitutional reform to give eastern Ukraine more autonomy.
Now the question is will the ceasefire hold,.... as the summit talks came amid bloody clashes between the Ukrainian army and pro-Russian rebels.
But if it does,... it will bring an end to the 10 month conflict that has claimed more than five thousand lives.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the European Union could impose further sanctions should the deal fail to be fully implemented.
A ceasefire in September fell apart within days,... as Ukrainian forces and the rebels tried to expand their areas of control.
The agreement came as the IMF announced a bailout program of 17 and-a-half billion U.S. dollars for Ukraine,... which is part an economic revitalization plan... that aims to create a 40 billion dollar lifeline for the war-torn country.
The World Bank will also provide two billion dollars of that package.
Kim Min-ji, Arirang News.

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