Moscow -- President Vladimir Putin has held prolonged telephone talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and with his French and Ukrainian counterparts Francois Hollande and Petro Poroshenko on various aspects of the current crisis in Ukraine.
“The Russian, German, French and Ukrainian leaders welcomed the release of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe’s observers, as well as the fresh round of consultations between the conflicting parties in Donetsk on June 27. The four leaders emphasized the importance of making such contacts regular. Poroshenko was asked to further extend the ceasefire,” the Kremlin press service reported on Sunday.
“The discussion covered plans to send OSCE inspectors to checkpoints on the border between Russia and Ukraine,” the press service said.
“In connection with the severe humanitarian situation in southeastern Ukraine, Putin emphasized the necessity to urgently send relief aid to this region,” the Kremlin said.
“The talks also dealt with issues pertaining to the signing of the association agreement between Ukraine and the European Union in Brussels on June 27,” the Kremlin press service said.
An agreement was reached to continue telephone contacts in the four-party format, it said.
