MILAN, October 17. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin told journalists in Milan after the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) summit and talks with his Ukrainian counterpart Petro Poroshenko on Friday that there is progress in the resolution of the issue of the demarcation line between the conflicting sides in Ukraine.

“There are issues connected with control of the demarcation line, and here we, in my view, moved well because we agreed that we will use drones,” Putin said. He said modern equipment will be used to identify areas hit by artillery strikes if there are any.

“As regards unmanned aerial vehicles, Italy, France and Germany have expressed their desire to work here, and Russia will also take part. Specialists will have to gather soon in Vienna at the OSCE and solve technical issues,” the Russian president said.

The parties to the Ukrainian conflict - Kiev and the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Lugansk People’s republics in Ukraine’s east - agreed on a ceasefire at talks mediated by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) on September 5 in Belarusian capital Minsk. The ceasefire took effect the same day.

On September 19 in Minsk, the Trilateral Contact Group on Ukraine comprising representatives of Ukraine, Russia and the OSCE adopted a memorandum outlining the parameters for the implementation of commitments on the ceasefire in Ukraine laid down in the Minsk Protocol of September 5.

The document contains nine points, including in particular a ban on the use of all armaments and withdrawal of weapons with the calibers of over 100 millimeters to a distance of 15 kilometers from the contact line from each side. The OSCE was tasked with controlling the implementation of memorandum provisions.