MOSCOW, August 27. /ITAR-TASS/. Russia’s President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Angela Merkel have emphasized the importance of international efforts of the contact group on Ukraine, which is expected to resume its work in the soonest time. The Kremlin press service reported this on Wednesday.

In a telephone conversation, the Russian president notified Merkel “about the intention of the Russian side to provide further supplies of humanitarian aid to the population of the Luhansk and Donetsk regions”. The two leaders also spoke for the soonest possible termination of bloodshed and rectification of humanitarian situation in Ukraine’s southeast, as well as for the need to take the path of political settlement of the conflict.

During the conversation initiated by the German side, Putin informed the German chancellor “about the main results of the meeting between leaders of the Customs Union’s member states with the Ukrainian president and representatives of the European Union in Minsk, at which they exchanged views on issues related to the consequences of Ukraine’s signing of the association agreement with the EU”.

The Kremlin press service reported that “Merkel backed the reached agreement about holding intensive talks on the matter between experts from Russia, Ukraine and the European Commission”. “In addition, the relevance of contacts in the issue of natural gas transit to Europe through Ukraine has been noted,” the statement says.

The two leaders have agreed to continue exchanging opinions on the whole complex of discussed issues on a regular basis.