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Ukrainian Forces, Separatists Complete Pullback From Frontline Area

November 11, 2019

Kyiv and Russia-backed separatists say they have completed a pullback of troops and weapons from a frontline area in eastern Ukraine.

The move is one of a series of confidence-building measures that could pave the way for a four-way summit aimed at ending the conflict in the Luhansk and Donetsk regions that has killed more than 13,000 people since April 2014.

Ukraine's military said Ukrainian forces completed the withdrawal from the Petrivske area in the Donetsk region at noon on November 11.

It said mine clearance in the area is set to begin on November 12, after monitors from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe have confirmed the pullback of forces.

A representative of the separatists in the Luhansk region previously said they had fully withdrawn from the area.

The disengagement began on November 9 following a similar withdrawal in a section of the front line in neighboring Luhansk region.

Also on November 11, Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed plans for holding a summit between Ukraine, Russia, France, and Germany in a phone call with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, according to the Kremlin.

Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov said there was a "possibility that the summit could be held before the end of the year.

With reporting by AP, UNIAN, Interfax, and TASS

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/ukrainian- forces-separatists-complete-pullback-from -frontline-area/30264971.html

Copyright (c) 2019. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.



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