MOSCOW, June 29./TASS/. German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel has supported gradual lifting of sanctions against Russia during the implementation of the Minsk accords on the Ukrainian settlement, he told reporters in Krasnodar.

"I am confident that the sanctions can be lifted step by step, if it is a step-by-step progress [of the Minsk accords implementation.] The most important thing here is to observe the truce," he said, stressing that both conflicting sides violate ceasefire in Donbass.

As he put it, the global community should urge Ukraine to observe ceasefire in Donbass. "It would be wrong to think that it concerns only the Russian side," the German minister highlighted.

He added that Moscow and Berlin still have "widely different" positions regarding Ukraine.