Deal brings no immediate change to eastern Ukraine

A pro-Russian protester holds icons as he stands outside a city hall bearing flags representing the Donetsk Republic in Mariupol, Ukraine, Thursday, April 17, 2014. AP

KIEV, Ukraine—Pro-Russian militiamen who control government buildings in eastern Ukraine are showing no sign of relenting despite a deal between Moscow and Kiev.

Ukraine and Russia agreed on Thursday to take tentative steps toward calming tensions along their shared border after more than a month of bloodshed. The surprise agreement, brokered by the United States and the European Union, appeared to tamp down the immediate crisis but offered no assurances for a long-term resolution.

The deal calls for the immediate return of all government buildings seized by pro-Russian militia. But none of the government buildings seized across eastern Ukraine has yet been vacated, according to local media on Friday.

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