On security issues, though, a clear step forward had been taken, said Frank-Walter Steinmeier in Berlin.

Federal Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier reported that the atmosphere surrounding the Normandy format talks had been better than at the meeting in Paris two months ago. Discussions were nevertheless difficult, he added, as is the ongoing political process. "That is why I have to say that progress was mixed," said Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

Both Moscow and Kyiv wanted to retain the ceasefire as a goal, and to cooperate significantly more closely to this end, said Frank-Walter Steinmeier. "That is why I am fairly satisfied with this part of our talks today."

Military violence in eastern Ukraine saw a massive escalation immediately prior to the Orthodox Easter celebrations at the end of April. The parties to the conflict then agreed on a truce over the celebration, which is still holding.

Focus on security issues

The Federal Foreign Minister said he was happy that a significant step forward had been taken, especially on security issues. He reported that agreement had been reached on concrete measures: disengagement of military forces along the contact line and the establishment of demilitarised zones. Concrete proposals had been made by both sides in this regard.

An agreement was also reached to improve information sharing along the contact line, and military exercises are no longer to be conducted there in future. These measures will be monitored by the OSCE (Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe) Special Monitoring Mission. According to Frank-Walter Steinmeier, full transparency has also been agreed in this respect. A new consultation mechanism has been agreed on between the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission and the military experts. This will mean that ceasefire violations can be verified more swiftly, he explained.

A major step forward

Now it is important that theses concepts and agreements are actually put into practice in eastern Ukraine. If it proves possible to effectively underpin the truce, which has held since the Orthodox Easter celebrations, it will be "a major step forward" stressed Frank-Walter Steinmeier. He thanked his counterparts in Moscow and Kyiv for enabling progress to be made in the field of security.

This is not, however, true of the political process as a whole. Difficulties still exist, in particular, regarding the provisions of legislation governing local elections. To date the Trilateral Contact Group has met 36 times and there is still no result to show for it, said Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

There must be a readiness to embrace compromise

"Naturally the standpoints are still very divergent," summed up the Federal Foreign Minister. Points of contention include agreements regarding the electoral system itself, and the question as to whether internally displaced persons will be entitled to vote.

For these reasons, the head of the working group on the political process, French Ambassador Pierre Morel, has been asked to draw up a compromise. "I hope that the readiness to embrace compromise will be significantly higher over the weeks to come than we have seen today," said Frank-Walter Steinmeier.