Roundup: No breakthrough on political process in E Ukraine after talks

Talks between Germany, Russia, Ukraine and France have brought proposals aimed at improving security but made no breakthrough on the political process and local elections in Ukraine, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said on Wednesday.

Steinmeier hosted his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov, Ukraine's Pavlo Klimkin and France's Jean-Marc Ayrault on Wednesday in Berlin for their 12th meeting in the Normandy format to discuss the situation in Ukraine.

The Normandy format is a diplomatic group of senior representatives of four countries - Germany, Russia, Ukraine and France - to resolve the situation in the east of Ukraine. The group first met in June 2014 in Normandy, France, during the 70th anniversary of operations during the Second World War.

Steinmeier told reporters that the atmosphere of Wednesday's talks was better than the previous meeting in Paris, and the participants had made progress in the area of security, referring to a plan to separate military units along the front line in order to create demilitarized zones, and to complete the agreed full withdrawal of weapons from the front line.

The four ministers also agreed on the necessity to improve contacts between the conflict parties and the exchange of information along the front line, as well as to halt military exercises in conflict areas to prevent escalations.

Steinmeier cautioned that the plans still have to be put into action. "If we are to succeed in making the ceasefire truly sustainable with these measures, that would be a really big step forward and become the basis for making progress on all other issues," he said.

The minister, however, acknowledged that the outcome of Wednesday's meeting was a "mixed picture" and there had been no breakthrough regarding the political process and local elections in eastern Ukraine.

"It is true that the political process is further stuck. We failed to achieve really substantial progress today on important issues regarding the political process of the Minsk agreements," Steinmeier said.

There are still many unanswered questions with a view to ensuring security for local elections in eastern Ukraine, he added.

The minister called on the conflict parties to show willingness for compromises, with an aim to moving forward in settling the Ukraine crisis.

Conflicts escalated recently between the Ukrainian army and anti-government militants in Ukraine's eastern regions, with heavy weapons being used again by both warring parties.

Martin Sajdik, Special Representative of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), has blamed both parties for violating the ceasefire regime, which was part of the Minsk accords signed in late February 2015. Endit