Ukraine says cease-fire steps agreed with Russia

Ukraine on Wednesday said its president had agreed with Russia's Vladimir Putin on steps toward a "cease-fire regime" in Kiev's conflict with pro-Russian rebels to put a halt on months of fighting that has killed nearly 2,600 people. The Kremlin, however, denied any actual truce deal, sowing confusion on the eve of a NATO summit where the ongoing crisis will take center stage.

"The parties reached mutual understanding on the steps that will facilitate the establishment of peace," said a statement from Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko's office, replacing an earlier statement that had spoken of a permanent cease-fire.

Putin told reporters that their views on the way to resolve the conflict are "very close," describing the seven steps he had put forward to secure a resolution to the crisis.

They included pro-Russian separatists halting offensive operations, Ukrainian forces pulling back, an end to Ukrainian air strikes, the creation of humanitarian aid corridors, the rebuilding of damaged infrastructure and prisoner exchanges.

Putin's spokesman said the leaders had agreed on steps toward peace, but that they had not in fact reached a cease-fire. "Putin and Poroshenko really discussed the steps that would contribute to a cease-fire between the militia and the Ukrainian forces. Russia cannot physically agree to a cease-fire because it is not a party to the conflict," spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

That position is disputed by Kiev and Western governments, which say Russian troops are fighting alongside the pro-Moscow separatists.

News reports of a cease-fire appeared to catch the Russian-backed separatists off guard. Vladislav Brrig, a rebel official, told The Associated Press, "As long as Ukrainian forces are on the territory of the Donetsk People's Republic there can be no cease-fire."

The rebels, who Ukrainian forces have been fighting since April, previously ignored a 10-day unilateral cease-fire that Poroshenko had called in June.

Still, the conversation between the Ukrainian president and Putin raised hopes about a de-escalation in the conflict and Moscow's desire to strike a deal that would allow Russia to avoid more punitive Western sanctions while preserving a significant degree of leverage over its neighbor.

The diplomatic developments comes as U.S. President Barack Obama arrived in Estonia Wednesday morning in a show of solidarity with NATO allies a day before the start of a NATO summit in Wales.

Obama said it was too early to tell what the announcement meant. He noted previous unsuccessful attempts and questioned whether pro-Russian separatists would abide by any cease-fire.

"We haven't seen a lot of follow-up on so-called announced cease-fires," Obama said. "Having said that, if in fact Russia is prepared to stop financing, arming, training, in many cases joining with Russian troops, activities in Ukraine and is serious about a political settlement, that is something we all hope for."

On Monday, marking the start of peace talks in Minsk, the Belarusian capital, pro-Russian rebels said they would respect Ukraine's sovereignty in exchange for autonomy.

Putin's spokesman said earlier that the Russian president and Poroshenko had found in a recent discussion that they "largely share views" on ways out of the crisis.

Ukraine and the West have accused Russia of sending its troops and weapons to support pro-Russian insurgents who have been fighting government troops in eastern Ukraine since mid-April. Moscow has vehemently denied this charge.

That denial leaves unclear how effective the truce announced Wednesday would prove to be amid the brutal fighting that has continued in eastern Ukraine.

On Monday, the rebels pushed Ukrainian government forces from an airport near Luhansk, the second-largest rebel-held city, the latest in a series of military gains.

Over the weekend, the European Union leaders agreed to prepare a new round of sanctions that could be enacted in a week, after NATO accused Russia of sending tanks and troops into southeastern Ukraine. The NATO summit in Wales is also expected to see an upgrade in military readiness to provide a more visible presence in eastern European member states disturbed by Russia's actions in Ukraine.

Fighting in eastern Ukraine between the separatists and the government in Kiev began in mid-April, a month after the annexation of Crimea. In addition to the nearly 2,600 people killed, the fighting has displaced more than one million, including 814,000 Ukrainians now in Russia with various forms of status, the United Nations' refugee agency said on Tuesday.

Al Jazeera and wire services