Ukraine crisis: Vladimir Putin announces ceasefire after Minsk talks
Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced that a ceasefire for eastern Ukraine will begin on 15 February.
The announcement comes after marathon talks in Minsk, which swayed between reports a deal could be imminent and claims that Russia's terms were unacceptable. With the news comes an announcement from the IMF, which reported it would replace the abandoned $17bn (£11.1bn) bailout programme for Ukraine with a new $17.5bn regime, which will likely lead to a restructuring of the country's privately-held debts.
The plan was abandoned when the crisis escalated, with the IMF delivering $4.5bn before conflict enveloped the east of the country.
We’re in non-stop talks, as you can see, the situation is very difficult, Angela Merkel and President Francois Hollande are helping us a lot, but for now the situation is difficult.