Merkel: Putin forced militants to agree to ceasefire

REUTERS

In a statement made after the end of the meeting, Merkel thanked the other participants of the negotiations - French President Francois Hollande and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko. She said Poroshenko "did his utmost to stop the bloodshed," in his country.

"Finally, even President Putin exerted pressure on the separatists, so that they would agree that as of midnight on Saturday night or Sunday morning, there is a ceasefire,” Merkel said, commenting on the results of the talks.