Putin urges parties in Ukraine to cease hostilities

The Russian media has reported that Russian President Vladimir Putin has called on the rebels in eastern Ukraine and the Ukrainian military to cease hostilities. Earlier on Wednesday the Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko announced that he and Putin had reached an agreement to cease-fire in Eastern Ukraine. Putin spoke against it because, according to him, Russia is not a party to the conflict. An adjusted statement on the President's website said that the Ukraine has reached an agreement on the necessary steps to achieve a cease-fire. In Eastern Ukraine the army and pro-Russian separatists have been engaged in heavy fighting for months. According to the United Nations, this conflict has already claimed 2,600 lives. More than 340 thousand people were forced to leave their homes, NU.nl reports. A spokesperson for President Putin said that the views of the presidents on ways to bring this crisis to an end largely correspond. Minister of Foreign Affairs, Frans Timmermans, remains skeptical about the cease-fire. This suits the "game of Russia" Timmermans said during a debate on the NATO summit, which is happening for the next two days in Wales. According to Timmermans the Kremlin have so often announce positive steps, but the situation just keeps escalating, NU.nl reports. He thinks that the crisis in the east may be going on for a long time. Minister Timmermans praised Poroshenko for the steps he has taken, saying that he has done everything to come to a political solution. The situation in the Ukraine is high on the agenda at the NATO summit. Timmermans reiterated that the Ukraine's membership is not an issue. The American President Barack Obama is also cautious about a possible resistance. According to Obama, the United States have always supported Poroshenko's efforts to achieve a cease-fire, but it is impossible to reach a realistic agreement if Russia continues to send tanks and troops into the Eastern Ukraine.