Representatives of Ukraine, Russia, and the separatists, under the auspices of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), today renewed the negotiations taking place in Minsk, says the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The sides are trying to reach an agreement about a complete cease-fire starting on September 1 -- the day a new school year begins.
President Petro Poroshenko says on his Twitter account that 12 Ukrainian fighters were freed from separatist captivity. “Soon their families can hug the Heroes,” he wrote.
Earlier today, Current Time correspondent Timor Olevsky, who witnessed the exchange, reported that only 11 Ukrainians were returned.
A Twitter user calls Ukrainian Finance Minister Natalie Yaresko, who reached a debt-restructuring deal with international creditors today, “a financial cyborg.”
“There are military cyborgs, and there are financial ones. Bravo!” reads the tweet.
The tweet is a reference to the well-known pro-Ukrainian armed volunteers who attempted to protect the Donetsk Airport and were nicknamed "cyborgs" for their tenacity.
Here is a map of the latest situation in the Donbas conflict zone today, issued by Ukraine's Defense Ministry (CLICK TO ENLARGE):
President Poroshenko has arrived in Brussels.
He is planning to meet European Commission Chief Jean Claude Juncker, European Council President Donald Tusk and Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel.
Seven Ukrainian fighters were killed, 13 wounded yesterday in Donbas, reported Ukrainian military spokesman Oleksandr Motuznyak.