fulfilled.”
European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini hailed the signing of the roadmap as “a first result”.
“The first step is the ceasefire tomorrow evening and we’ll verify that on the ground,” she said in Tunis.
Both sides are supposed to begin pulling back heavy weaponry from along the frontline no later than two day after that.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel, warned Russia that the EU, which has already slapped Moscow with sanctions over the crisis, was not ruling out further measures if the truce failed.
“If there are difficulties we wouldn’t rule out other sanctions,” she said in Brussels on Thursday, after the 17-hour Minsk talks with French President Francois Hollande, Russian leader Vladimir Putin and Poroshenko.
Ukraine’s military said that fighting remained fiercest around Debaltseve, with rebels firing missiles at the beleaguered railway hub mid-way between the main separatist bastions of Donetsk and Lugansk.
An AFP journalist in the rebel capital of Donetsk said that sporadic missile salvos and dozens of artillery bombardments could be heard around the city early Friday morning.
Kiev has accused Russia of deploying another 50 tanks across the border during the talks in Minsk.
The United States, which has said it could supply Ukraine with weapons if the conflict continues, cautiously welcomed the peace accord, but emphasised the work yet to be done in making it stick.
“The true test of today’s accord will be in its full and unambiguous implementation,” the White House said, including “restoration of Ukrainian control over its border with Russia.”
The new Minsk agreement is broadly similar to an earlier failed deal in September, except that the new heavy weapons-free zone will be 50 to 140-km wide, depending on the range of the weapon, double the width of the buffer zone agreed in September.
Kiev will also begin retaking control over the approximately 400-km stretch of Russia’s border with rebel-held Ukraine, but only after local elections are held.
The border is entirely under Russian and pro-Russian rebel control and is used, according to Kiev, as a conduit for separatist supplies. The Kremlin denies this but has opposed Ukraine being allowed to regain control of the frontier.
Separatist-held territories will be granted a degree of autonomy to be established through talks, and the right to decide which language they use.