October 20, 2016 (BBC News Europe) German
Chancellor Angela Merkel has said talks with Russian, Ukrainian and French
leaders about a stalled Ukraine peace deal "didn't achieve miracles".
All sides have agreed to draw up a roadmap by the end of November on how to
implement the Minsk peace deal. Mrs Merkel, Russian President Vladimir Putin
and French President Francois Hollande also discussed Syria.
The German leader said she and Mr Hollande had
a "difficult conversation" with Mr Putin. Both condemned Syrian and
Russian air strikes on Aleppo. The Ukraine discussions took place against a
backdrop of tensions elevated by Russia's military backing for the Syrian
regime - and a bombing campaign in Aleppo which the European Union has warned
could amount to war crimes.
Among protesters gathering outside the summit, Mr Putin attracts
ire for Russia's role both in Ukraine and in Syria
A blizzard of telephone diplomacy
over the past week - when Mr Putin postponed a visit to France over a row
about Syria - is said to have resulted in Wednesday night's meeting, which
attracted several protest groups outside.
The carnage in Aleppo - highlighted by protesters in Berlin - has heightened tensions
The 2015 Minsk
agreement eased fighting between Ukrainian forces and Russian-backed
rebels in the east of the country, but violence frequently flares along a
demarcation line. Speaking after the Berlin talks, President Poroshenko said
all sides had agreed that a road map would be drawn by the end of November on
how to implement the 2015 agreement and also protocols reached in 2014. He also
said Russia had agreed with a proposal to allow the deployment of an armed
police mission from the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe. President
Putin has made no official comments on the issue.
Ukraine, Western leaders and Nato say there is
clear evidence that Russia has supplied the rebels with heavy weapons and
regular troops. Russia denies that, but it is hostile to the Kiev
government and openly supports the rebel cause. The full
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