Ukraine: New Contact Group deal may spell end of war in E. Ukraine - Pushilin

A senior rebel representative said during a press conference in Donetsk on Wednesday that a deal reached in Minsk this week could ultimately lead to peace in east Ukraine. The Chairman of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic, Denis Pushilin, revealed that the new accord means the creation of “a buffer zone" of 30 km. He added that the agreement “may mean the end of the war” as it will be “very difficult for the Ukrainian side to provoke our units”. Russia, Ukraine and the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) arrived at a consensus over withdrawing heavy weapons of a calibre less than 100 millimetres from the frontline in east Ukraine during talks on Tuesday.