The European Union (EU) Friday welcomed the fresh ceasefire agreement on the conflict in eastern Ukraine.
"We welcome the agreement on a ceasefire reached in Minsk today at the meeting of the Trilateral Contact Group. The ceasefire agreement must now be respected and fully implemented by all sides, " Xinhua quoted the European External Action Service, or the EU's foreign policy arm, as saying in a statement.
EU hopes that this will be a first step towards a sustainable political solution, based on respect for Ukraine's "sovereignty and territorial integrity", it said.
Permanent monitoring of the Russian-Ukrainian border and "withdrawal of illegal armed groups and forces illegally operating on Ukrainian territory" should be integral parts of such a solution, it added.
It also said the EU stands ready to support any efforts related to the implementation of the ceasefire, including through the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). "We will continue to follow closely the developments on the ground."
