Germany Sees Cautious 'Sign of Hope' in Ukraine
Germany's foreign minister on Wednesday saw a tentative "sign of hope" after a ceasefire announcement by Ukraine but warned that Kiev, and especially Moscow, needed to show they meant it.
Frank-Walter Steinmeier said reports of talks between the Ukrainian and Russian presidents and "cautious" discussion of a ceasefire "is perhaps a small sign of hope" but that the next few days would reveal if it signified more.
"Whether it's also good news will only crystallize in the coming days when it's confirmed on the ground that the weapons are actually quiet," the minister said in a speech in the northern port city of Hamburg.
He stressed the need for proof "that both sides and, above all, the Russian side, is actually looking for the path to a truce."
Steinmeier cautioned that "after the experiences of the last days and weeks, we'd do well not to overestimate individual remarks and assessments" but also not to dismiss them either.
Earlier Wednesday U.S. President Barack Obama, on a visit to former Soviet republic and new NATO member Estonia, also reacted cautiously to initial reports of a ceasefire deal, saying it was "too early to tell."
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said that he and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin had agreed in a telephone call on a ceasefire deal.
Putin meanwhile urged both Ukrainian rebels and government forces to cease fire and agree to the broad terms of a truce.
The announcements raised hopes of an end to fighting that has killed at least 2,600 people and driven relations between Russia and the West to their lowest ebb since the Cold War.
Source: Agence France Presse
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