The two leaders continued their exchange of views on the development of the acute crisis situation in Ukraine. Mr Putin paid special attention to the incessant military operations by the Ukrainian security agencies in southeast Ukraine that lead to the loss of many lives and escalation of humanitarian problems. The President of Russia stressed that the authorities in Kiev are responsible for the resulting situation.
The two heads of state positively assessed the resumption of work by the Contact Group, as well as the work of the recently deployed OSCE observer mission at the Donetsk and Gukovo checkpoints on the Russian-Ukrainian border. The Russian side noted the importance of establishing a real political dialogue between the authorities in Kiev and representatives from protesting regions.
Mr Putin and Ms Merkel agreed to continue dialogue on Ukrainian issues at various levels.
