Participants in Minsk talks agree on 30 km wide buffer strip in conflict zone in Ukraine's east

03:33, 20.09.2014 1 min read

Participants in the Minsk talks of the Contact Group on Ukraine in the early hours of Saturday agreed on the creation of a buffer strip, which will be at least 30 kilometers wide, in the conflict zone in the east of Ukraine.

"A memorandum [on the peaceful settlement of the conflict in the east of Ukraine, which was adopted by the Contact Group on Ukraine in Minsk] stipulates the removal by each side of large-caliber weapons at a distance of at least 15 kilometers. Thus, a safety zone, which will be at least 30 kilometers wide, will be created," former Ukrainian president Leonid Kuchma told reporters after the negotiations in Minsk.

The memorandum also suggests the removal of large-caliber weapons from the contact line and bans the use of heavy weaponry near villages, towns and cities.