Dialogue Crucial Between Kiev, Donbass to Resolve Conflict - Putin

The settlement to the ongoing Ukrainian conflict is unreachable without Kiev having a direct dialogue with Donbass, Russian President Vladimir Putin said during phone talks with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, French President Francois Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

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Putin called for the Ukrainian government to agree with the self-proclaimed republics upon the legal status of their territories, the Kremlin press office reported.

"The Russian President called for Kiev to follow the spirit and the letter of the Minsk agreements. Particularly, he called to discuss with the DPR and LPR [Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics] and adopt a legislative framework for their legal status as well as an amnesty bill for Donbass. He also called for Kiev to discuss with Donbass arrangements for regional elections," the report read.

The leaders stressed the need to sign as soon as possible an agreement on weapons withdrawal. They also reaffirmed the importance of creating demilitarized zones and observing ceasefire under control of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine.

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The four leaders also discussed the issues related to Russian gas supplies to Ukraine.

They also agreed to continue cooperation in the "Normandy four" format at various levels, the report added.

The Normandy quartet has held several rounds of talks on Ukrainian reconciliation, most notably in February when they signed the Minsk deal in Minsk, Belarus. The agreement included a set of 13 steps to end bloodshed, among them a ceasefire, heavy artillery withdrawal from the line of contact and the removal of an economic blockade imposed on Donbass in November 2014.

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