MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Lavrov and Steinmeier also discussed the preparation of a ministerial meeting on Ukrainian reconciliation in the so-called Normandy Four format in Berlin expected to take place sometime at the end of this week.
"The sides agreed that the conflicting sides [in eastern Ukraine] maintained, in general, the ceasefire regime during the past few days, and urged additional steps to continue this trend," the ministry said in a statement.
According to the statement, Lavrov emphasized the need to persuade Kiev and self-proclaimed Donetsk and Lugansk self-proclaimed people's republics to coordinate the parameters of upcoming local elections in contested areas in eastern Ukraine.
The Russian minister also said it was imperative that Kiev carried out a real constitutional reform that stipulates and ensures the special status of Donbass.
