Updated 11:15 p.m. Moscow Time
MOSCOW, September 15 (RIA Novosti) - Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Angela Merkel discussed in a phone call on Monday the situation around the current ceasefire regime and deliveries of Russian gas to Europe, the Kremlin said.
"Putin and Merkel exchanged opinions on the situation with deliveries of Russian natural gas to EU member-states and agreed that the consultations in a three party format should continue," a statement on the Kremlin website said.
The leaders also discussed the development of the situation in Ukraine with focus on the importance of strict compliance with the ceasefire regime by the sides of the internal Ukrainian conflict and the effective monitoring of the situation by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the Kremlin said.
An armed confrontation in eastern Ukraine began in mid-April, when Kiev launched a military operation against independence supporters who refused to acknowledge the new government that was instated after the February 22 coup.
On September 5, the Contact Group on Ukraine, comprising the representatives of Ukraine, Russia and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), held a meeting in Minsk, which resulted in a ceasefire agreement between Kiev and independence supporters in eastern Ukraine.
