Contact Group on Ukraine agrees on ceasefire starting from Saturday

MINSK, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- The Contact Group on Ukraine has reached an agreement on ceasefire in the conflict zone in east Ukraine starting from Saturday, a special representative said here on Wednesday.

Martin Sajdik, the special representative of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in the trilateral contact group on Ukraine, told local media that the negotiators had reached a deal with representatives of the certain areas of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions.

All parties have reiterated their commitment to a comprehensive, stable and timeless ceasefire from Dec. 23, the diplomat said.

According to the previous agreement, the Contact Group on Ukraine also reaffirmed the need to exchange prisoners before the Christmas and New Year holidays.

The next meeting of the Contact Group on Ukraine will be held on January 18, 2018.

The trilateral contact group is a group of representatives from Ukraine, Russia and OSCE that was formed as means to facilitate a diplomatic resolution to the war in the conflicting Donbas region. Enditem