Military officials said both sides in Ukraine’s conflict have agreed to pull back their heavy weapons from the frontlines in eastern Ukraine; a positive sign for the implementation of a peace plan that has been violated repeatedly.
The officials said the pro-Russian rebels signed an agreement to complete the withdrawal over the next two weeks.
Media reports said the rebels may begin withdrawing their weapons on Sunday.
The rebels have confirmed through news agencies that they signed the deal.
Elsewhere, an explosion in eastern Ukraine during a demonstration marking the one-year anniversary of the overthrow of Ukraine’s former president killed at least one person and injured more than 10 other marchers, local officials and media said Sunday.
The explosion occurred in the Ukraine-controlled city of Kharkiv, located more than 200 kilometers (120 miles) from the frontline, a Ukrainian Interior Ministry spokeswoman told Reuters. The spokeswoman said the cause of the explosion had not yet been established.
Similar marches were taking place in Kyiv and other parts of Ukraine on Sunday, but not in the rebel-controlled areas of eastern Ukraine, .
Prisoner exchange
On Saturday, Ukraine and the rebels carried out a prisoner exchange; the first major sign of progress for an otherwise shaky cease-fire signed a week ago.
The trade was 139 Ukrainian troops for 52 rebels and took place in the area of the village of Zholobok.
Rebels said the prisoners included some troops captured in the strategic railroad town of Debaltseve, which was overtaken by separatists a few days ago in the worst breach of the U.N.-backed cease-fire.
Also Saturday, the United States and Britain discussed imposing more sanctions on Russia for apparent violations of the truce.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry met his British counterpart, Philip Hammond, in London, saying afterward that President Barack Obama will decide “in the next few days” on potential new sanctions.
Kerry said he is confident the U.S. and its allies will respond with “serious” measures and said arming Ukrainian forces is another possibility Washington is considering.
