Hollande, Merkel Call for Implementation of Minsk Agreement

According to a statement, French President Francois Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel have called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to rapidly implement measures agreed under the Feb. 12 Minsk ceasefire. Hollande said he and Merkel had spoken on the phone with Putin early on Friday afternoon and told him they want to see concrete results from four working groups that were set up on May 6 to deal with political, security, economic and humanitarian issues. The two western leaders also want progress on respecting the cease-fire and halting the use of heavy weapons, releasing prisoners and restoring economic relations between the zone controlled by separatists and the rest of Ukraine. The statement added that diplomats and officials from the four countries will meet in Paris on June 10 to review progress in the Minsk process.