Ukraine ceasefire deal talks may be held on Dec. 9 - Poroshenko

  • 10 years ago
As Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko celebrates troops on Armed Forces Day...

...he reveals that fresh ceasefire talks with Russia-backed separatists in the country's east have been preliminarily set for December 9th in Minsk.

A ceasefire deal was reached three months ago, but clashes have persisted.

Over in Moscow -- after a meeting with French President Francois Hollande -- Russian President Vladimir Putin says he hopes a Ukraine ceasefire will soon take hold.

(SOUNDBITE) (Russian) RUSSIAN PRESIDENT, VLADIMIR PUTIN, SAYING:

"I really hope that in the near future a final decision will be made regarding the ceasefire."

NATO and Western powers accuse Moscow of sending troops and weapons to back Ukraine's separatist rebels -- a charge Moscow denies.

Since April, more than 4,300 people have been killed in the conflict in eastern Ukraine.

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