Well that didn't take long. Just an hour or so after Merkel, Hollande, Poroshenko, and Putin got together to drink tea in Minsk, they have a 'deal':
- *RUSSIA, UKRAINE, GERMANY, FRANCE LEADERS READY DECLARATION: IFX
- *FOUR-COUNTRY DECLARATION TO REAFFIRM MINSK CEASE-FIRE DEAL: IFX
- *JOINT DECLARATION IN SUPPORT OF UKRAINE'S TERRITORIAL SOVEREIGNTY
So - to summarize - they agree to a cease-fire (which saw 1000s killed and shelling continue last time) and to support Ukraine's territorial sovereignty (except of course Eastern Ukraine?) Face-saving headline-maker comes to mind.
#Putin [8] #Poroshenko [9] shake hands in #Minsk [10] pic.twitter.com/EWwORfHd0B [11]
— Marina Buinovskaya (@MBuinovskaya_RT) February 11, 2015 [12]
Stocks don't care though - they are buying it.
[13]
As Interfax notes,
Joint 4-nation declaration to affirm commitment to cease-fire agreements reached in Minsk in Sept., Interfax reports, citing unidentified person close to talks in Belarus capital.
* * *
[14]
* * *
Now what will president Obama do?
