Germany, France, Russia agree on importance of ceasefire in eastern Ukraine
POLITICS
By Hu Shenqiu

2017-07-08 18:55 GMT+8

7477km to Beijing

Germany, France and Russia agreed on the importance of implementing a ceasefire in eastern Ukraine under the Minsk accords, Reuters reported on Saturday, quoting a German government spokesman as saying.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Emmanuel Macron and Russia's President Vladimir Putin met to discuss the situation in Ukraine on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany on Saturday.

French President Emmanuel Macron, Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Angela Merkel meet to talk the about the situation in Ukraine,  in Hamburg, Germany on July 8, 2017. /VCG Phto

However, the implementation of the Minsk accords has been too slow, and a genuine ceasefire in Ukraine requires more effective measures, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Reuters on Saturday in a regular conference call.

Measures are needed to ensure a real ceasefire on the frontline and military hardware withdrawal, Peskov noted.

The Minsk agreement is a deal brokered by Merkel and former French President Francois Hollande with the aim of resolving the crisis.

The agreement signed in September 2014 involves a ceasefire, and pulling weapons and pro-Russian forces out of the area. 

7477km

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