Kiev asks Moscow to sign ceasefire implementation plan

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said Monday that Kiev has asked Moscow to sign a schedule for implementation of the Minsk ceasefire agreement designed to bring peace to eastern Ukraine.

According to the statement published on the ministry's website, the three-stage action plan on ceasefire implementation was developed on Nov.13, 2014 by a contact group on Ukraine's crisis.

The first stage of the plan includes steps to establish a ceasefire in the restive areas starting from Jan. 19, while during the second stage, the warring sides in eastern Ukraine should withdraw heavy weapons from the frontline, the statement said.

The final stage of the plan envisages creating a weapon-free buffer zone in the combat area, it said.

Russian Foreign Ministry said on Sunday that Russian President Vladimir Putin has sent a written message to his Ukrainian counterpart Petro Poroshenko, proposing Ukrainian troops and pro-independence insurgents to establish a ceasefire and withdraw artillery from the battle zone.

On Sept. 5, 2014, a ceasefire protocol was signed in the Belarusian capital of Minsk between representatives from Kiev and the rebel leadership in an attempt to end the bloody conflict in East Ukraine, but the agreement has never been fully implemented. Endi