Contact group on Ukraine reaches ceasefire deal

Former Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma (L) and Russian Ambassador to Ukraine Mikhail Zurabov leave after the meeting of the Contact Group on eastern Ukraine at the Dipservice Hall in Minsk, February 10, 2015. [Photo/Agencies]

MINSK - The contact group on Ukraine agreed Tuesday on a scheme for withdrawal of heavy weapons, reaching a ceasefire deal, Belarusian Telegraph Agency (BelTA) reported.

Members of the contact group also discussed in the session the state structure of Ukraine's Donetsk region and the holding of local elections.

The meeting took place behind closed doors in the diplomatic service hall in downtown Minsk. Former Ukrainian president Leonid Kuchma, OSCE (Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe) special representative Heidi Tagliavini, Russian Ambassador to Ukraine Mikhail Zurabov and representatives of the self-declared republics of Donetsk and Lugansk Denis Pushilin and Vladislav Deinego attended the talks.

The negotiations aim to help resolve the situation in Ukraine.

The meeting of the Contact Group on Ukraine marked the start of a new round of consultations ahead of the much-anticipated Minsk summit in the so-called "Normandy format" which may take place here on Feb 11.