Hollande, Merkel, Putin, Poroshenko urge 'strict respect' of Ukraine truce

Kiev 

The leaders of France, Germany, Russia and Ukraine called Friday for a "strict respect of engagements" pledged in a peace deal to end the Ukraine crisis, the French presidency said of the first four-way talks in more than two months. 

Sources in Kiev said the conversation between Francois Hollande, Angela Merkel, Vladimir Putin and Petro Poroshenko -- the first since April 30 -- lasted for more than two hours and focused on finally halting the 15-month separatist crisis in the former Soviet state.

The warring sides had struck a ceasefire deal in February but Poroshenko on Friday complained about pro-Russian insurgents' refusal to honour the five-month truce.

Poroshenko "expressed concern about the continuing escalation (of violence) in eastern Ukraine and called for the full implementation of the Minsk agreements," the Ukrainian president's website said in reference to a Belarussian capital where the peace deal was done. 

"Petro Poroshenko stressed that Ukraine, unlike the other side, was abiding by the Minsk agreements."

A separate statement said Poroshenko had delivered a similar message to US Vice President Joe Biden in another phone call.

The Kremlin said Putin had in turn underscored the severity of the humanitarian crisis gripping the two separatist regions in industrial war zone.