Ukrainian talks focus on political process

BERLIN

Russia, Ukraine, France and Germany called for an immediate end to fighting in eastern Ukraine on Tuesday, urging a political solution to the crisis.

“We call on all sides to stop fighting and demonstrate their commitment to fully implementing the ceasefire and conclude the withdrawal of heavy weapons,” the countries’ foreign ministers said in a joint statement issued after Monday night’s talks in Berlin.

They also expressed “grave concern at the recent outbreak of fights over the last weekend.”

On Sunday, Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) monitors reported heavy fighting between pro-Russia rebels and Ukrainian armed forces near Donetsk that included tanks and heavy artillery.

Around the village of Shyrokyne, on the outskirts of Mariupol, the monitors recorded mortar fire from Ukrainian army and rebel positions. The OSCE team was repeatedly denied access to Shyrokyne, according to a statement on the OSCE website.

Speaking after Monday evening's five-hour talks, which he described as “very long, very intensive and at times very contentious,” German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said: “There is no alternative to political process.”

The ministers’ statement said the situation in eastern Ukraine, where more than 6,000 have died in fighting over the past year, remained tense because of violations of the cease-fire agreed in Belarussian capital Minsk, which requires both sides to withdraw heavy weapons from combat areas.

Highlighting the use of heavy weaponry around Shyrokyne and Donetsk airport, the ministers added: “We support the current OSCE Special Monitoring Mission activities in order to de-escalate the situation… and call upon the parties to cooperate with SMM for that purpose.”

OSCE ambassador Heidi Tagliavini and the monitoring mission’s head Ertugrul Apakan, a Turkish diplomat, briefed ministers during the meeting.