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1st LD: Tusk says Minsk deal of ceasefire "must be respected"

Xinhua, February 13, 2015 Adjust font size:

European Council President Donald Tusk said on late Thursday the Minsk deal of ceasefire in eastern Ukraine must be respected after an informal summit meeting of the European Union (EU) in Brussels.

"We give it cautious support. Words put down on paper must translate into real deeds. The cease fire must be respected, we must see a real deescalation of the conflict," Tusk said in the press conference following the meeting.

Tusk said the leaders' debate focus on how to support the implementation of the agreement and the EU "will not hesitate to take necessary steps" if the Ukraine peace pact were not implemented.

On Greece, Tusk said after Eurogroup head Jeroen Dijsselbloem briefing the intensive discussion which finance ministers had on Wednesday, the European Council does not enter into the negotiation of the issue. Endit