MOSCOW, August 27 (RIA Novosti) — In a phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin Wednesday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel expressed her support for three-party talks on Ukraine’s EU association, the Kremlin said.
«Merkel supported the agreement to hold intense talks of experts from Russia, Ukraine and the European Commission on the subject [of Ukraine’s association with the EU]," the Kremlin press service said in a statement.
The two leaders also discussed the conflict in eastern Ukraine, agreeing that the hostilities must cease and political settlement must begin as soon as possible.
The telephone conversation was initiated by the German side. Putin briefed Merkel on the key results of the meeting of the leaders of the Customs Union countries of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan with the President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko and representatives of the European Union on August 26 in Minsk.
“Putin announced Russia’s intention to deliver further humanitarian aid to the people of Luhansk and Donetsk regions,” the press service noted.
The two leaders stressed the importance of international efforts on de-escalation of the Ukrainian conflict, including the involvement of the contact group, which is expected to resume its work in the near future.
Earlier on Tuesday, Russia, alongside Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan and EU member states, was participating in a multilateral meeting in Minsk that was dedicated to the discussion of acute issues, such as the crisis in Ukraine, the humanitarian situation in the east of the country, the possibility of talks between the Ukrainian government and the country’s eastern regions, as well as Ukraine’s association agreement with the European Union.
