4 world leaders discuss settlement of Ukraine crisis

Russian President Vladimir Putin held a phone conversation Tuesday with French, German and Ukrainian leaders over the Ukraine crisis, Moscow announced.

In his phone discussion with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Francois Hollande and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko discussed the political settlement of the crisis.

Putin called on the Ukrainian armed forces to cease fire in the eastern part of the country. A key element of the settlement should be direct dialogue between Kiev and the restive regions of Donetsk and Lugansk to implement the Minsk agreement signed in 2015.

The four leaders stressed the importance of strict observance of the cease-fire envisaged in the Minsk agreement.

The four countries have received a package of proposals for local elections in Donetsk and Lugansk.

The four leaders also discussed how to address a number of pressing socio-economic and humanitarian problems in southeastern Ukraine. Endi