MOSCOW, Sept 5 (Reuters) - The Kremlin welcomed the ceasefire reached by Kiev and pro-Russian rebels on Friday and urged all sides to observe it closely, Russian news agencies reported.
"The Russian presidential office welcomes the signing of the protocol in Minsk," Interfax news agency quoted President Vladimir Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, as saying.
He noted the agreement followed initiatives by Putin and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and added: "Moscow hopes all the provisions of the document and the agreements reached will be thoroughly observed by the parties and that the negotiating process will continue until the crisis in Ukraine is fully resolved."
(Reporting by Tatyana Ustinova, Editing Timothy Heritage)
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