Kiev’s military and opposing separatist forces have agreed “in principle” on a new Ukrainian ceasefire to commence on Friday in the rebel-held Lugansk region in the east of the country.

The deal was reported by the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) late on Monday and is the latest attempt to reinforce the much-violated ceasefire that was agreed on September 5.

Shelling by both sides has continued despite the three-month-old ceasefire deal signed by Ukraine, Russia and the pro-Russian separatist leaders.

Subsequent attempts to forge a stronger truce have so far failed to halt sporadic but frequently heavy artillery fire by both sides.

The OSCE said it had been agreed at negotiations that took place on Saturday that heavy weapons would start

being withdrawn from the front at the weekend.

The body said representatives from both sides had “agreed in principle to a total ceasefire along the entire line of contact” in the Lugansk region, although differences remained on certain details.

Both sides “continued to dispute aspects of the disengagement phase,” the OSCE said.

A similar deal was reached to end fighting over the airport in the capital of the more heavily populated Donetsk region, but rocket barrages have continued in the area despite the deal.

The sides held similar talks in November and did not reach a viable agreement.

A ceasefire was nominally agreed in early September, but hundreds have been killed since then amid daily violations of that truce.