The Minsk talks have started

Stocks Jump On Reported Minsk Summit Cease-Fire Deal

Zero Hedge,

11 February, 2015

Well that didn't take long. Just an hour or so after Merkel, Hollande, Poroshenko, and Putin got together to drink tea in Minsk, they have a 'deal':

• *RUSSIA, UKRAINE, GERMANY, FRANCE LEADERS READY DECLARATION: IFX
• *FOUR-COUNTRY DECLARATION TO REAFFIRM MINSK CEASE-FIRE DEAL: IFX
• *JOINT DECLARATION IN SUPPORT OF UKRAINE'S TERRITORIAL SOVEREIGNTY

So - to summarize - they agree to a cease-fire (which saw 1000s killed and shelling continue last time) and to support Ukraine's territorial sovereignty (except of course Eastern Ukraine?) Face-saving headline-maker comes to mind.

Marina Buinovskaya @MBuinovskaya_RT

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#Putin #Poroshenko shake hands in #Minsk

8:17 AM - 12 Feb 2015

Stocks don't care though - they are buying it.

As Interfax notes,

Joint 4-nation declaration to affirm commitment to cease-fire agreements reached in Minsk in Sept., Interfax reports, citing unidentified person close to talks in Belarus capital.

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Now what will president Obama do?

Obviously more to come

'Normandy 4' Ukraine peace talks in Minsk LIVE UPDATES

RT,

11 February, 2015

The leaders of Germany, France, Russia and Ukraine are gathering in the Belarusian capital, Minsk, to discuss a last-ditch attempt to negotiate a political solution to the bloody Ukrainian civil war.

Wednesday, February 11

20:18 GMT:

The Trilateral Contact Group on Ukraine is expected to sign a document on settling the crisis, which it will then hand over to the 'Normandy Four' leaders for approval, Russian Ambassador to Belarus Aleksandr Surikov said. 

“Right now the contact group is finalizing and handing over [the] signed and agreed document and then [leaders of the 'Normandy Four'] will either approve it or not. Right now, the 'Normandy summit' is discussing possible variants of the document,” Surikov said, as quoted by RIA Novosti.

19:46 GMT:

The leaders and their diplomatic teams, are discussing the "technical details" of the final document that could be signed at the end of the summit, an inside source in the German delegation has told RIA news agency.

19:45 GMT:

The shelling of Donetsk by Ukrainian forces continues, despite the 'Normandy Four' talks being underway in the Belarusian capital.

One person was killed and seven others injured after a shell hit one of the hospitals in the eastern Ukrainian city.

"A shell fired by the Ukraine army about an hour ago has hit Hospital 20 in the Kiev district of Donetsk. One person died and seven people were injured," the Emergencies Ministry of Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) said.

Earlier, the militias said the territory they control was bombarded by Kiev on 19 occasions throughout the day.

9:17 GMT:

A document that is planned to be signed after the talks is being reviewed by both the “Normandy summit” members and by the contact group, Belarus Foreign Minister Vladimir Makey said.

“To achieve a positive result, the approval of all participants is required,” he said.

19:13 GMT:

The four leaders are planning to sign a joint declaration on the implementation of the Minsk agreement, a source in the Belarusian capital has told Interfax-Ukraine.

“The signing of a joint declaration on the implementation of the Minsk agreements is planned,” the source said.

It is also expected that a tripartite contact group in Minsk will agree on implementation plan for the Minsk agreements. "It is expected that the leaders of the ‘Normandy format’ will support this plan," he dded.

19:11 GMT:

The Normandy 4 and the host, Belarus President Aleksander Lukashenko - appeared for a brief photo call after two hours of negotiations. After posing for several shots without comment, the leaders went back to the negotiating table.

18:47 GMT:

President Poroshenko left the room where talks between the leaders have been taking place. He continued to the second floor of the palace, but was back in about 15 minutes.

18:38 GMT:

All sides of the talks are “willing to reach positive results,” Belarus Foreign Minister Vladimir Makey has said.

“We have had an opportunity to speak to each of the sides and we see that each [of them] is willing to reach a positive result,” he said, as quoted by RIA Novosti.

Zakharchenko and Poltnitsky also arrived in Minsk

Захарченко и Плотницкий также прибыли в Минск

Russkii Dialog,

11 February,2015

The leaders of the self-proclaimed DPR and LPR, Alexander Zakharchenko and Igor Plotnitsky are also in Minsk.

"Zakharchenko and Zakharchenk are in Minsk. If negotiations leaders "Norman Four" are successful, it is planned that the leaders of the DPR and LPR will put their signatures to the final document, "- said the source," Interfax ".

As previously reported ,by "Russkii Dialog" , the President of Ukraine Poroshenko, his French counterpart Francois Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel have arrived in Minsk for talks on the Donbas.

Note negotiations in the "Norman format" are scheduled for today at 21:00 Moscow time.

Donetsk shelled by the UAF during the peace talks in Minsk 11/02/15

Russian reporter dismissed from Minsk for his question to Poroshenkпo

February 11, 2015

Russian journalist has been removed from the summit in Minsk for his question to Poroshenko.

At the moment when Poroshenko entered the building of the Minsk Palace of Independence, Russian reporter from VGTRK Pavel Zarubin shouted: "Why do you shoot at peaceful residents?"

The reporter was dismissed from coverage of the meeting of the world leaders.

Poroshenko: "Not my butt! That's my masters' property!"

If looks could kill