German foreign minister reaffirms importance of determining line of contact in eastern Ukraine
BRUSSELS. Dec 16 (Interfax) - German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier has reiterated the need to continue work in order to determine the line of contact between the sides in the conflict in eastern Ukraine.
"We agreed both in Moscow and in Kyiv that the top priority today is to work to determine the line of contact between the sides [in the eastern Ukrainian conflict]," he told reporters in Brussels.
"The military confrontation has subsided somewhat in recent days," Steinmeier said, admitting, however, that the sides still had a long way to go to fulfill the Minsk agreements.
It was "unrealistic" to try to ensure the implementation of all agreements within two weeks, the German minister said. Rather, it would have been more appropriate to "secure the implementation of individual elements in a step-by-step manner," he added.
"I hope that we will be able to persuade the sides to convene the Contact Group's meeting before [Catholic] Christmas. Hopefully, an agreement on the line of contact will be reached there," he said.