EU welcomes Ukraine talks, urges concrete progress

BRUSSELS: The EU on Tuesday welcomed "important steps" made on the Russia-Ukraine conflict in Paris summit talks but called for swift action on the ground to help end the fighting.

Russian leader Vladimir Putin and Ukranian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky agreed some measures to de-escalate the five-year war but announced no major breakthrough. The EU, which approved sanctions against Russia for supporting pro-Kremlin separatists in eastern Ukraine, reiterated its position that the so-called Minsk accords must be fully implemented to achieve lasting peace.

Monday´s gathering hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel was the first four-way "Normandy format" summit in three years.

"The measures agreed under the Normandy format and the renewed engagement by the parties at the Summit in Paris yesterday are important steps," an EU spokesman said in a statement. "Their quick and thorough implementation is essential and would have a direct positive impact on the lives of people in eastern Ukraine on both sides of the contact line."

A joint statement by all four parties on Monday said they agreed to implement a full ceasefire and proceed with a new withdrawal of forces from conflict zones by March 2020. "The new dynamics in the Normandy format talks represent a window of opportunity that should be used by the sides to move towards the full implementation of the Minsk agreements," the EU spokesman said.