Report: Tentative Deal Reached for Ukraine Cease-Fire
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Rob Stothard/Getty Images(NEW YORK) — Deal or no deal?
The New York Times, citing both Russian and Belorussian news agencies, reported Tuesday night that a tentative agreement was reached for a cease-fire in Ukraine, ahead of Wednesday’s meeting of four leaders in Minsk to complete the pact.
However, the Ukrainian weekly newspaper Zerkalo Nedeli said that no deal was reached, while another Russian news agency called news of a cease-fire premature.
In any event, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and Russia President Vladimir Putin are scheduled to hold talks in Minsk Wednesday along with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande to try and work out a solution to end ten months of violence in eastern Ukraine that has left more than 5,300 people dead.
The Times also reported that President Obama personally called both Putin and Poroshenko, urging them to find a diplomatic solution to the crisis.
The White House added that Obama told Russia’s president that “the costs for Russia would rise” if Putin continues to provide rebels with soldiers and arms.
At the same time, Obama is deciding whether to provide Ukraine’s military with lethal defensive weapons if diplomacy fails to end the conflict.
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