Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko says he will sign a cease-fire with Russian-backed rebels today, ending five months of war in the country’s east.  The leaders of the rebel groups in Luhansk and Donetsk said they were ready to issue ceasefire orders if the deal was signed as expected.

Poroshenko made his comments on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Wales.  The deal is contingent on a meeting going on in Minsk, Belarus with the envoys from Ukraine, Russia, and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). 

Poroshenko’s friends in the west have been skeptical.  The West accuses Russia of sending arms and troops to back the rebels in eastern Ukraine, which Moscow denies.  NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen says it’s not clear if Russia will stop destabilizing Ukraine even if a cease-fire is signed.

“Based on experience we have to be cautious,” said Rasmussen.  “But.. if we are witnessing a genuine effort to find a political solution, I would welcome it.”

More than 2,600 people have died during the five-month conflict.

“Ukraine is paying the highest price,” said Poroshenko, “including lives of soldiers and innocent civilians.  As president of Ukraine, I must do my best to stop it.”

If there is no cease-fire, or a deal falls through, US President Barack Obama and British PM David Cameron have made it clear there will be more economic sanctions on Russia.