Germany: Steinmeier seeks to extend Orthodox Easter ceasefire in Ukraine

Foreign Minister of Germany Frank-Walter Steinmeier spoke to the press ahead of the ‘Normandy Four’ talks in Berlin, Wednesday. He expressed hope that the parties present will be able to find mechanisms to maintain the Ukraine ceasefire, which held through the Orthodox Easter period.
Steinmeier outlined the agenda for his meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and the other ‘Normandy Four’ members. He said, “Today's meeting will be about extending the Easter ceasefire, while on the other hand we will try and find mechanisms to safeguard this ceasefire even more than we did before."
Along with Steinmeier and Lavrov, French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin will participate in the meeting.
The group, dubbed the 'Normandy Four' was created in 2014 to secure a peaceful settlement to the conflict in eastern Ukraine. Wednesday's summit will be the 12th time the foursome has met. The key issues for discussion will be the further implementation of the Minsk peace agreement and the current situation in south-eastern Ukraine, with special focus on issues such as security and prisoner exchange.