Russia, Ukraine, Germany and France leaders discuss Ukraine ceasefire

Baku. 24 July. REPORT.AZ/ Leaders of Russia, Ukraine, Germany and France Ukraine held a four-way phone call late on Thursday to discuss the implementation of the Minsk ceasefire agreements reached in February taking into account the outcome of Tuesday’s talks between representatives of the Contact Group and its working subgroups, Report informs referring to Russian TASS Agency, the Kremlin press service said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, Ukrainian President Pyotr Poroshenko, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande "expressed satisfaction that the working group for security issues managed to agree on the text of a document on pulling out tanks and mortars with a calibre under 120 mm to 15 kilometres away from the line of contact after the Donetsk People’s Republic and the Lugansk People’s Republic had voluntarily announced the start of unilateral withdrawal of weapons with a calibre under 100 mm and got down to its practical implementation," the Kremlin said, adding that the leaders emphasised the importance of signing and implementing the document, which supplements the Minsk package of measures signed in the Belarussian capital on February 12.

The leaders of the four countries once again confirmed the need for all sides to strictly observe the ceasefire in eastern Ukraine and to set up demilitarised zones under control of the OSCE special monitoring mission to Ukraine.

Putin reiterated that a lasting and comprehensive settlement of the Ukrainian crisis would be impossible without establishing direct dialogue between the authorities in Kiev and representatives of east Ukraine’s Donetsk and Lugansk republics.

The leaders exchanged views on possible steps to resolve a number of most pressing social, economic and humanitarian problems in the Donbass region.

They also discussed issues related to Russian gas supplies to Ukraine and agreed to continue work in the Normandy format at various levels, the Kremlin said.