The European Union signed a historic free trade pact with Ukraine on Friday and warned it could impose more sanctions on Moscow unless pro-Russian rebels act to wind down the crisis in the east of the country by Monday.
Shortly after returning to Kiev from Brussels where he signed the pact, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko announced on his website that Ukraine had extended a cease-fire by government forces against pro-Russian separatist rebels by 72 hours until 10 p.m. on Monday.
Poroshenko came to Brussels to sign a far-reaching trade and political cooperation agreement with the EU that has been at the heart of months of deadly violence and upheaval in his country, drawing an immediate threat of "grave consequences" from Russia.