By: M. Dinata*)
Russia and Ukraine sealed a ceasefire agreement on Thursday,12 February 2015, in Belarus. The agreement was sealed after 16 hours of marathon talk done by four key world leaders: French President, Francois Hollande; German Chancellor, Angela Merkel; Ukrainian President, Petro Poroshenko; and Russian President, Vladimir Putin. The ceasefire agreement set to begin right after midnight on Saturday, 15 February 2015, includes a pullback of forces battling near the Russian border and an exchange of prisoners.
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expects the peace agreement can be honored by all parties. Meanwhile, the U.S, which had intended to supply Ukraine with lethal weaponry last week, will see the progress of the agreement and evaluate their decision. ”The truth is, we will see,” State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki said. “We are clear-eyed about the potential here. We have seen the Russians say one thing and do another over the course of the last several months. The first test is whether this agreement lays the groundwork for a more comprehensive settlement … and we’ll know more on Sunday.”
The latest agreement includes:
- ceasefire to begin at 00:01 local time on 15 February (22:01 GMT 14 February);
- heavy weapons to be withdrawn, beginning on 16 February and completed in two weeks;
- all prisoners to be released; amnesty for those involved in fighting;
- withdrawal of all foreign troops and weapons from Ukrainian territory. Disarmament of all illegal groups;
- Ukraine to allow resumption of normal life in rebel areas, by lifting restrictions;
- constitutional reform to enable decentralisation for rebel regions by the end of 2015;
- Ukraine to control border with Russia if conditions are met by the end of 2015.
Because of the agreement, the Ukrainian military has called back their tanks and heavy weapons on Thursday. “Around 50 tanks, 40 multiple rocket launch systems, and a similar number of armored vehicles crossed the Ukrainian-Russian border at Izvarin,” said Kyiv military spokesman Andriy Lysenko. At the other hand, Russian President Vladimir Putin said the parties “managed to agree on the main issues,” including the withdrawal of heavy weapons from the conflict area.
*) The Author Is Brunei Darussalam Contributors.
