Putin & Merkel agree in phone call that Minsk agreements on E. Ukraine conflict ‘have no alternatives’

Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Angela Merkel discussed implementing the Minsk agreements to peacefully solve the conflict in eastern Ukraine in a phone call on Wednesday.

Putin “emphasized the counter-productivity of Ukrainian attempts to distort the substance” of the agreements amid Kiev’s statements about the need to review them, according to the Kremlin press service. “He underscored that Kiev’s course toward selective fulfillment of its obligations brings the negotiations process to a stalemate.”

Both sides condemned recent statements made by Ukrainian officials that the Minsk complex of measures must be reviewed, TASS reported. The two leaders also confirmed “the Minsk agreements as the only basis for settlement of the inter-Ukrainian conflict, have no alternatives.” Putin and Merkel noted the importance of “total and unconditioned implementation” of decisions adopted during the Normandy Four summits, including the Paris summit on December 9, 2019.

The leaders of Germany and Russia also talked about the arms embargo against Iran and the current situation in Libya, the chancellor’s spokesman Steffen Seibert said.