At the December 9 summit in Paris, the heads of state of France, Germany, Ukraine and Russia agreed to a ceasefire in East Ukraine until the end of the year.

Both Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian president Vladimir Putin called the talks “a success.”

A joint communiqué stated that “The sides commit to a full and comprehensive implementation of the cease-fire, strengthened by the implementation of all necessary cease-fire support measures, before the end of the year 2019”.

They also agree on the exchange of 250 prisoners of war. The summit reportedly also involved an explicit endorsement by all participants of the Steinmeier Formula, a vague plan by the former German foreign minister and current president Frank-Walter Steinmeier aimed at realizing the 2015 Minsk Agreement.