Russian President Vladimir Putin has reportedly unveiled a peace plan for Ukraine right ahead of a crucial Nato summit on Thursday where western nations, led by United States president Barack Obama, were planning to step up their defence of Eastern Europe "in the face of Russian aggression."
Putin has appealed both the pro-Russia rebels and Ukrainian forces to lay down their weapons to put an end to five months of fighting that has claimed 2600 lives, reported The Daily Telegraph.
However, Russia denied agreeing to a ceasefire by saying it was involved in the conflict.
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said that the truce deal was agreed upon during telephone talks with Putin.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk dubbed the plan as an eyewash and termed it an attempt to deceive the international community ahead of the Nato summit and to avert the European Union's "inevitable" decision to impose a new wave of sanctions against itself.
Obama, who is on a highly significant visit to former Soviet republic and new NATO member Estonia, said that it was too early to predict if the truce would hold.
Russia has often been accused of backing the rebels in Eastern Ukraine by Kiev and the western nations, a claim that has been denied by Moscow.
