Foreign ministers to meet over Ukraine in Berlin

The foreign ministers of Germany, France, Russia and Ukraine will meet in Berlin on Monday to discuss the Ukraine conflict, said German Foreign Ministry on Friday.

The ministers held on Friday a telephone conference over the situation in Ukraine and agreed to see each other on Monday to continue their efforts at resolving the crisis, according to the statement.

"The Minsk agreement must remain the compass for all further steps," German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said in the statement. "But there is still a long and bumpy road before the agreement is fully implemented."

The minister said he and his counterparts wanted to "make another attempt to overcome the obstacles on Monday," aiming to make political compromises possible which could help ease tensions in eastern Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has invited the leaders of Russia, France and Germany to talks over the Ukraine crisis in Kazakhstan's capital Astana on Jan. 15.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has left it open as to whether the four-way summit would take place next week. During a press conference with visiting Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseny Yatsenyuk on Thursday, Merkel said foreign ministers of the four countries were still in the preparatory phases for a possible meeting. Endit