Ukrainian armed forces and the forces of the governmentally non-controlled areas of East Ukraine started ceasefire at midnight between July 26 and 27, Ukrinform news agency reported Monday.
The representatives of Ukraine, Russia and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) agreed on establishing a complete and comprehensive ceasefire in Donbas on July 27 during a Trilateral Contact Group video conference on July 22.
The agreements provide for a ban on offensive and reconnaissance actions, the use of firearms, as well as the use of disciplinary measures for violations of the ceasefire.
Earlier Russian President Vladimir Putin held a phone call with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky at the initiative of the Ukrainian side, discussing issues of the settlement of the Ukrainian crisis, the Kremlin said in a statement Sunday.
“There was a thorough discussion of various aspects of settling the Ukrainian crisis and the need for boosting the efficiency of negotiating efforts as part of the Minsk contact group,” said the statement.
The parties praised additional ceasefire measures that were agreed by the contact group on July 22 and are to come into effect on July 27, it added.
Putin and Zelensky stressed the importance of unconditional compliance by all parties of the conflict with these agreements, according to the statement.
The Russian side underscored that it is a top priority to implement the decisions made by the Normandy Four format leaders, including during their summit in Paris in December 2019.
