Kiev, Ukraine: An agreement has been reached in Minsk to stop hostilities in Ukraine from Sunday, Russian President Vladimir Putin told the media.

‘I believe we agreed on a big deal. We agreed to a ceasefire starting at 00:00 (GMT) on 15 February,’ he announced.

The announcement comes after a marathon negotiation in the Belarusian capital between the leaders of Russia, Ukraine, France and Germany.

A compromise decision was taken over the disengagement line, which was the biggest stumbling block in the negotiation. Putin said Kiev’s troops would pull back heavy weapons from the current frontline. The rebels would pull back from the line as it existed in September, when the previous ceasefire agreement was signed.

The agreement also repeats the points of last year’s truce, including political reform in Ukraine to ensure special status for its rebel provinces and the settlement of the border guard situation, Putin said.

Humanitarian and economic issues are also mentioned in the deal.

The terms of the ceasefire are spelled out in a document signed by members of the so-called contact group, which includes representatives from the rebel forces, Kiev, Russia and the Organization for Cooperation and Security in Europe, Putin said.

The members of the ‘Normandy Four’ – Putin, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande – supported a joint declaration describing the result of their work.