Moscow - Russian President Vladimir Putin has discussed the Donbas ceasefire with German Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Francois Hollande and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko on the phone.
“The discussion of the crisis in Ukraine continued. The need to maintain a
lasting ceasefire in Donbas was emphasized in the context of international
efforts to assist in the peaceful settlement of the domestic conflict in
Ukraine,” the Kremlin press service said.
“[The sides] noted the importance of the soonest meeting of the Contact Group
for the sake of the implementation of the Minsk agreements and the launch of
Kyiv’s dialogue with the southeast. The exchange of captives and the pullback of
heavy weapons of the conflicting sides from the line of contact were mentioned
amongst priority tasks,” the report said.
In addition, the sides conferred on economic reconstructions in the
conflict-stricken regions and humanitarian and social support to the civilian
population.
“It was agreed to continue telephone contacts in the ‘Normandy format’ in the
near future,” the Kremlin underlined.
