BRUSSELS (Sputnik) — The European Union has noted that the first parts of the Minsk peace agreements on Ukraine are being partially implemented, the Foreign Minister of Latvia, which currently holds the EU presidency, said Tuesday.
“[What] we have seen so far is that, although not fully, but the first elements of the Minsk agreements are being implemented,” Edgars Rinkevics said.
Kiev and East Ukraine's pro-independence militia initially agreed to a ceasefire deal in September 2014, though the truce was repeatedly broken, with both sides accusing each other of carrying out deadly attacks.
As clashes intensified in eastern Ukraine in the first weeks of 2015, the leaders of Ukraine, Germany, France and Russia met in Minsk, Belarus in mid-February in a bid to find a solution to the conflict.
Following a marathon meeting between the four leaders, Ukraine's warring sides agreed to a new truce deal, vowing again to end the hostilities and draw back heavy weaponry from the line of contact.