Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Angela Merkel continued to exchange opinions on the current situation in Ukraine during a recently telephone conversation, the Russian presidential press service has reported.
“The sides reaffirmed the importance of strictly abiding by the Minsk peace agreements, primarily those on a ceasefire, the withdrawal of heavy weaponry by the sides and effective monitoring of the situation by the OSCE [Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe]. Putin reiterated the need to prevent any further shelling of civilian sites in the southeast of Ukraine by Ukrainian units,” the press service said.
“The leaders of the two countries also said that all agreements concerning the Ukrainian gas problem should be finalized and implemented as soon as possible,” it said.
The German government’s spokesman, Steffen Seibert, for his part, said after the two leaders’ telephone conversation that Merkel reiterated Russia’s responsibility for containing separatist fighters in southeastern Ukraine in order to maintain the existing ceasefire in the region.
According to Seibert, the German chancellor also spoke in favor of the presence of a controlled border between Ukraine and Russia and reaffirmed the OSCE’s key role in this process.
The German government will continue to support the OSCE’s Ukrainian mission, which is also able to play a crucial role in helping the Donetsk and Luhansk regions hold their local elections, set for Dec. 7, the German chancellor said.
