MOSCOW, July 21. /TASS/.Ukrainian authorities should strictly adhere to the Minsk Agreements, Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Angela Merkel said at a phone call that was initiated by the German side on Wednesday.
"The necessity for the Kiev authorities to scrupulously implement the 2015 Minsk Package of Measures was also underlined," the Kremlin said in a statement issued following the phone call. The statement also adds that the leaders agreed to maintain personal contacts.
The situation in Donbass exacerbated in late February as shelling and exchanges of gunfire, particularly with the use of mortars and grenade launchers, were reported almost daily in the region. The sides blamed each other for these developments.
Merkel had a meeting with Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky on July 12 where the two leaders discussed the Minsk Agreement implementation among other topics. At a joint briefing with Zelensky, Merkel underlined that the sides "are yet to reach enough progress" in the implementation of the agreements. The chancellor pointed out that Germany will continue to make efforts to continue implementing the Minsk Agreements and achieving progress, underlining however that "it will be difficult.".