Russia, Germany call for cementing positive momentum in Ukraine situation

Russia and Germany on Thursday called for all concerned parties to strengthen the positive trend of peacefully settling down the Ukraine crisis.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier held a telephone conversation on Ukraine crisis, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in an online statement.

"The two ministers emphasized the needs to reinforce a positive trend of the peaceful settlement of the Ukrainian internal crisis by ensuring a ceasefire, continuing the process of prisoner swaps, solving the humanitarian issues in the region and the soonest possible start of genuinely constitutional reform, which should involve all regions and political forces in Ukraine," according to the statement.

They also stressed the importance of strictly complying with the Minsk agreements by all involved sides in the conflict.

The two also exchanged views on the results of the Normandy dialogue that took place in Berlin on Monday, while discussing plans for the gathering on Ukraine set for Jan. 15 in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan.

The two ministers agreed that discussions on the Ukraine crisis should continue in bilateral formats as well as within the framework of the Normandy dialogue, which comprises representatives of Russia, Germany, France and Ukraine.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said earlier in the day that foreign ministers of Germany, Russia, France and Ukraine are working for a possible gathering in Astana.

Meanwhile, Merkel stressed that only if "all provisions of the Minsk agreements have been adhered to," will it be possible to discuss the lifting of sanctions imposed on Russia by Western nations. Endite