The Trilateral Contact Group on Ukraine has reached an agreement on new efforts to adhere to a ceasefire ahead of Orthodox Easter. Negotiators meeting in  Minsk, the capital of Belarus, agreed on a new truce in Donbas, eastern Ukraine, that came into effect at midnight.

Martin Sajdik, the Special Envoy of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, said power and water restoration in east Ukraine, as well as railway transportation and local elections, were also discussed, but no agreement was reached.

In addition, the sides did not manage to agree on a prisoner exchange. The deal was part of a clause in the Minsk ceasefire agreements signed in February 2015. The issue will be discussed again in the next meeting to be held on May the 18th.