Cease-fire deal offers 'only hope of peace'

A cease-fire deal brokered by Europe remains the only way to secure peace in Ukraine, the European Union's foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said on Tuesday.

"We have to make it succeed. This is the only agreement that was signed by the parties, it has been supported by a UN Security Council resolution, and it is the only way we have to make peace possible in Ukraine," Mogherini told BBC radio during a trip to London.

Fighting between the Ukrainian military and militias, which has killed more than 5,600 people, has continued despite a weeklong truce, putting the deal under pressure of collapsing.

"A lot of fighting is still going on, but the cease-fire is working in some other places. We have to make this diplomatic effort work," she said.

Militias in eastern Ukraine said they have begun a large-scale withdrawal of heavy weapons in line with an international peace plan that aims to form a wide buffer zone between the artillery of both sides.

Lamberto Zannier, the head of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, said on Monday that the latest cease-fire has "very significantly" lowered the level of military exchanges but violations are still taking place and must end.

Under a peace agreement reached on Feb 12 in Minsk after talks between the leaders of Russia, Ukraine, Germany and France, a cease-fire was supposed to begin on Feb 15 followed by a withdrawal of heavy weapons by both sides.

Gas risks

Russia's Gazprom said on Tuesday there were "serious" risks to gas transit to Europe via Ukraine after Kiev failed to make a prepayment.

Gazprom said in a statement that Ukraine had 219 million cubic meters of gas left that would be used up in two days. With no new payment, Russia would be forced to stop supplies to Ukraine, it added.

"It creates serious risks for gas transit to Europe," it said. Europe gets around a third of its gas needs from Russia, with roughly half being pumped via Ukraine.

On Monday, Ukrainian state energy company Naftogaz accused Gazprom of failing to supply gas that Kiev had paid for in advance, days after Moscow said it was sending some gas destined for Ukraine directly to regions held by militias.

AP - AFP - Reuters