Ukraine and pro-Russia rebels sign ceasefire deal

The Minsk talks involved representatives of Russia, the rebels and the Ukrainian government

The Ukrainian government and pro-Russia rebels have signed a truce deal to end almost five months of fighting.

The two sides, meeting in the Belarusian capital Minsk, agreed to stop firing at 15:00 GMT.

President Petro Poroshenko said he would do "everything possible" to end the bloodshed. The rebels said the truce had not changed their policy of advocating separation from Ukraine.

More than 2,600 people have died since rebels stormed several eastern cities.

The move prompted a military operation by Ukrainian forces to retake the cities.

The rebels, who had largely been pushed back towards their strongholds of Donetsk and Luhansk, made new advances in recent days.

Fighting was continuing on Friday around Mariupol, a coastal city about 110km (70 miles) south of Donetsk.

The BBC's Fergal Keane in Mariupol tweeted that pro-Russia forces seemed to be hitting Ukrainian positions 4km outside the city.

Large plumes of smoke could be seen as Ukrainian artillery fired back, he says. Ukrainian fighter jets also hit rebel positions.

The West accuses Russia of sending arms and troops to back the rebels in eastern Ukraine - allegations denied by Russia.

In other developments:

• Nato agrees to form a multi-national "spearhead" force capable of deploying within 48 hours, in response to Ukraine and Middle East crises
• Despite the ceasefire, the EU and US are expected to announced enhanced sanctions on Russia, targeting banking, energy and defence sectors.