Germany sees "sliver of hope" in Ukraine ceasefire, but urges further steps
KIEV, Sept 14 (Reuters) - German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said on Wednesday that moves toward a ceasefire between Ukrainian troops and separatists gave a "sliver of hope" and that the next steps in the Minsk peace process could be agreed next week.
On a visit to Kiev, Steinmeier said that, with Moscow's agreement, Russian-backed separatists will enforce a ceasefire beginning at midnight, which the Ukrainians had also agreed to abide by.
The two sides had earlier agreed to abide by a ceasefire to coincide with the start of the school year on Sept. 1, which failed to stop the fighting.
"We are again at a crossroads," Steinmeier said. "We see a small sliver of hope in the back-to-school ceasefire ... but it is not enough." (Reporting by Andrea Shalal and Pavel Polityuk; Writing by Matthias Williams; Editing by Catherine Evans)
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