A Ukrainian military spokesman on Sunday dismissed a call for a ceasefire by a separatist leader, saying this could only take place once rebels had put down their weapons and surrendered, Reuters reported. A senior leader in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's republic in eastern Ukraine said on Saturday that the rebels were ready for a truce with government forces to allow humanitarian aid to be brought in. Replying to a journalist's question on Sunday, military spokesman Andriy Lysenko said: "If there is this initiative it should be carried out by practical means and not words - by raising white flags and by putting down guns. "We have not seen these practical steps yet," he said.
