BERLIN, October 19. /TASS/. The situation in eastern Ukraine remains tense, but there is small progress in the process of settlement, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said Wednesday at a press conference in Berlin.

"There is small progress, but on many issues we have not moved forward yet," Steinmeier said. "We can’t yet see the final solution [to the crisis]."

He said the meeting of Normandy Four leaders to be held in Berlin "will not be easy, but it’s necessary."

The foreign minister said that efforts should be made to prevent the conflict from "going beyond the borders of Donbass."