Paris--The ceasefire in Ukraine was "generally satisfactory" despite some "local incidents", the office of French President Francois Hollande said on Sunday after four-way talks with the leaders of Germany, Ukraine and Russia.
The leaders "noted that the respect of the ceasefire was generally satisfactory despite some local incidents that have to be quickly sorted out," Hollande's office said in a statement.
The leaders also reiterated their agreement to move forward with the next steps of the Minsk accord clinched last week that was seen as a last-ditch deal to prevent all-out war in Ukraine.
The statement cited the withdrawal of heavy weapons, the checking by the OSCE of the ceasefire and the withdrawal of heavy weapons as well as the launching of a dialogue towards holding local elections in the separatist east of Ukraine.
The leaders also offered their "full support" for a United Nations Security Council resolution backing the measures laid out in the Minsk agreement.
On the ground, AFP journalists have heard occasional artillery fire coming from the direction of the flashpoint town of Debaltseve, but fighting has dropped sharply since the ceasefire came into effect at midnight.
The latest deal is seen as the best hope to stop fighting that has killed over 5,480 people since April.
But trust is low on all sides and scepticism remains high after the collapse of a September ceasefire.
AFP
