UKRAINIAN government forces agreed yesterday to a ceasefire proposal from the Donetsk anti-fascist militia to allow civilians in nearby Debaltsevo to leave the conflict area.

Dozens of buses from both sides began rolling into the major railway junction along the only functioning main road to evacuate residents whose situation has become unbearable as a result of power, heating and water supplies being affected by artillery fire.

Evacuees were allowed to choose between areas controlled either by Kiev or the militia, to be taken to the cities of Artyomovsk or Donetsk respectively.

At the end of January, there were reports that 8,000 Ukrainian troops had been surrounded near Debaltsevo by militia units who had cut off the only road linking the pocket to Kiev-held territory. 

The servicemen had reportedly been offered the chance to surrender.

Kiev initially denied the situation and insisted that the area was under its troops’ control.

The plan for a localised ceasefire was made public during a series of international meetings aimed at devising a solution to the fighting in eastern Ukraine.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande flew into Moscow yesterday for talks on a peace proposal with Russian President Vladimir Putin after having discussed matters with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko.

US Secretary of State John Kerry also visited the Ukrainian capital on Thursday to hear Kiev’s request for shipments of heavy weapons.

President Barack Obama has not favoured arming Kiev, seeing it as provocative and fraught with danger, but many US politicians have backed it as a political virility test.

Both European leaders also oppose an arms escalation and stress the need for peaceful negotiations.

“France is not favourable to Ukraine’s entry into Nato, let us be clear,” said President Hollande, drawing praise from Putin aide Yuri Ushakov, who welcomed “a pragmatic approach that the Kremlin welcomes.”

Ms Merkel emphasised that the peace proposal provided for Ukrainian territorial integrity, while accepting the need for regional autonomy.

The plan could entail a frozen peace in which each side holds what it has.

All sides are likely to travel to the German city of Munich today for a security conference.