In a three-way telephone conversation, Hollande and Merkel "called on all sides in the conflict to cease hostilities and asked the Russian president to promote the resumption of negotiations," the French president's office said in a statement.
The statement said Hollande and Merkel had "taken note" of Putin's statements after Ukraine's new Western-backed President Petro Poroshenko announced a unilateral week-long ceasefire on Friday.
"They also reiterated the importance of ensuring full control of the Russian-Ukrainian border in order to avoid infiltrations of equipment and armed men," the statement said.
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