Ukraine crisis: Fighting fizzles out as ceasefire agreed

Amid a mood of recrimination and mistrust on the ground, the prevalent feeling is the agreement will soon fall apart. Photo / Getty

The Ukrainian government and separatist rebels agreed to a ceasefire amid flickering hopes of peace, but also widespread fear that the blood-letting cannot be stopped for long.

The guns on the most violent frontline, Mariupol, fell silent 28 minutes before the truce was due to begin at 6pm local time, after a final sustained barrage.

Fierce attacks and the destruction of several government checkpoints led to expectations the separatists intended a last-minute dash to seize the port, giving their Russian sponsors control of the Azov Sea coastline. That did not take place and, although confrontations continued, there were no reports of breaches, apart from some shelling on the outskirts of Donetsk which soon subsided.

But the feeling that the agreement will fall apart appeared to be prevalent in much of the international community. Barack Obama, urging European allies to back new sanctions, said: "With respect to the ceasefire agreement, obviously we are hopeful but based on past experience also sceptical that the separatists will follow through and the Russians will stop violating Ukraine's sovereignty."

The deal took place in a hotel at the Belarus capital, Minsk, with the former Ukrainian President, Leonid Kuchma, holding talks with leaders of two "peoples' republics", Alexander Zakharenko of Donetsk and Igor Polotinsky of Luhansk, in the presence of officials from Russia and the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe.

The agreement is said to be based on plans put forward by Vladimir Putin which were initially dismissed by the Ukrainian government and some of its Western backers. The Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk accused the Russian President of deceit and attempting to avoid sanctions while continuing to "send mercenaries and terrorists" to destabilise the east of the country.

However, the injection of fresh forces and weapons from Russia's army dramatically reversed recent gains made by Kiev, forcing the retreat of Ukrainian troops from a number of fronts and driving the Ukrainian government to the negotiating table.

Under the plan, Ukrainians would move artillery away from populated areas and freeze the status quo while talks begin on a permanent settlement. Meanwhile, humanitarian aid will be sent to the east and prisoner exchanges will begin.