KYIV. Feb 6 (Interfax) - Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, French President Francois Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel have reiterated their support for a peaceful solution to the conflict in south-eastern Ukraine.
"The parties supported a peaceful settlement of the conflict in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions and expressed hope that Russia is also interested in that," the Ukrainian presidential press service said after the three leaders' meeting in Kyiv on Thursday.
Poroshenko, Hollande and Merkel also discussed ways to implement the Minsk agreements and formulated joint proposals concerning further steps in this area.
They called for an immediate ceasefire, the withdrawal of heavy weapons and military hardware, the closure of the borders and the release of hostages, the press service said.
"President Poroshenko urged European leaders to help secure the release of Ukrainian pilot Nadezhda Savchenko," it said.
The leaders also discussed opportunities to further promote dialogue in the Normandy format.