No breakthrough in foreign ministers' meet on Ukraine

The foreign ministers of Russia, Ukraine, France and Germany have made some "discernible progress" in their latest round of diplomatic efforts to cease hostilities in Ukraine, but there was no breakthrough in talks resolve the long-drawn conflict.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his Ukrainian counterpart Pavlo Klimkin agreed at a meeting with German and France Foreign ministers here that the Ukrainian government forces and pro-Russian separatists should withdraw their heavy weapons from the front line as specified in a ceasefire agreement signed in Minsk on September.
"I'm not going to say we saw a breakthrough. The negotiations were very tough and they tested the limits of patience of all sides involved. But I hold the view that there was some discernible progress," Steinmeier told a news conference yesterday night at the conclusion of the meeting.

He said the ministers agreed that heavy weapons should be withdrawn from the demarcation line in accordance with the Minsk agreement.
The governments of Russia, Ukraine and pro-Russian separatists agreed in Minsk on September 19 to withdraw heavy artillery 15 km away on both sides of the demarcation line and thereby create an artillery-free buffer zone.
Steinmeier said further progress towards a negotiated settlement depended on whether what has been agreed here will not just remain on the paper and will indeed change the situation on the ground.

Lavrov pledged to use Russia's influence on the separatists to ensure that they will comply with the decisions taken in Berlin.

In a joint statement, the foreign ministers expressed concern over the renewed fighting in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine, which began on Monday and called for an immediate end to the hostilities.
They also deplored the violation of the ceasefire of September and called upon all sides involved to fully respect the terms of the agreement.
Ukrainian government and the separatists blamed each other responsible for the flare-up. Western governments and the government in Kiev accused Russia of supporting the separatists by sending troops and weapons, a charge which Moscow strongly denies.
The ministers emphasised that "tangible progress" in fully implementing the Minsk agreement must be achieved before a summit meeting of the leaders of Russia, Ukraine, Germany and France in Kazakhstan's capital Astana.

They called for the creation of relevant conditions for an effective ceasefire, an agreement on the modalities for the delivery of humanitarian assistance to the population in the conflict zone and continuation of the release of detainees.
The foreign ministers agreed that the trilateral "contact group" on Ukraine comprised of the government in Kiev, Russia and the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) should meet as soon as possible to work out further follow-up measures.