At a meeting with international negotiators in the Belarusian capital Minsk on Dec. 21, representatives of both sides in the Ukrainian conflict agreed to lay down their weapons at midnight Kyiv time (2200 UTC) on Dec. 24.
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who is also the chairperson-in-office of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), said after the meeting that he welcomed the “unanimous recommitment” to a ceasefire ahead of the holiday period.
