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Leaders of France, Germany, Russia and Ukraine on Thursday urged the warring sides in Ukraine to fully comply with the measures agreed upon in the Belarus capital of Minsk last week, amid reports of frequent violations of ceasefire.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, French President Francois Hollande, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko highlighted in a teleconference the necessity to guarantee a sustainable ceasefire under the Minsk deal, according to a Kremlin statement.
The four leaders also stressed the need to take practical steps to ensure that the conflicting sides withdraw their heavy armaments and release prisoners of war as soon as possible, the statement added.
"The implementation of the package of measures by the Contact Group in Minsk has made it possible to reduce the intensity of military action in Donbass and lead to a reduction in civilian casualties," the statement said.
However, a statement from the French presidency said recent breaches of the truce deal were denounced during the four-way talks, indicating that the four leaders are not at ease for the situation in the war-torn eastern Ukraine.
Exchange of fire was frequently reported in the transport hub of Debaltseve, a town now under the control of the pro-independence rebels as a majority of the Ukrainian government troops have withdrawn from it.
The withdrawal was clouded by an accusation from the European Union that the rebels violated the ceasefire, and the bloc has threatened to take actions.
The four leaders agreed in their talks to actively support the monitoring mission of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in southeastern Ukraine "at the current important stage of settlement," said the Kremlin.
However, the Ukrainian side showed a desire to invite international peacekeepers to eastern Ukraine to help enforce the ceasefire deal.
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko on Wednesday instructed the Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council to consider issuing an appeal to the United Nations and the European Union for the deployment of peacekeepers to the region.
The council went even further to suggest placing peacekeepers not just along the disengagement line in the conflict zones in eastern Ukraine, but also along the border with Russia.
Russia slammed the attempt, warning it may destroy the Minsk agreement.
"It is vital to pull out weapons but not to indulge in proposing new initiatives," Russian Ambassador to the U.N. Vitaly Churkin said. "It raises doubt about Kiev's commitment to the Minsk agreement."
In response to the proposal by Kiev, a representative of the "Lugansk People's Republic" said the deployment of peacekeeping operation in eastern Ukraine should be discussed only when the current agreement fails to bring peace to the region without external forces.
During their telephone talks, the four leaders also agreed on contacts among their foreign ministers to ensure implementation of the Minsk agreement. Enditem
