Ukraine president says prisoners to be freed under ceasefire

NEWPORT Wales (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said prisoners could be freed as early as Saturday under a ceasefire agreement reached with pro-Russian rebels and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday. Poroshenko said 12 steps, including a decentralization of powers, had been agreed to bring peace and stability to the mostly Russian-speaking eastern Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Lugansk with a concrete timetable for implementation. "We are expecting, in the very near future, the release of hostages, most probably it will happen tomorrow," Poroshenko, speaking English, told reporters on the sidelines of a NATO summit in Wales. "This is based... on my peace plan." Ukraine was ready to grant a significant decentralization of power and economic freedom to the regions as well as the right to use the language of their choice and an amnesty as part of a political settlement, he said. (Reporting by Guy Faulconbridge; Editing by Paul Taylor)