KIEV (Sputnik) — Earlier in the day, the three leaders met in Brussels to discuss the implementation of the Minsk agreements and political situation in Ukraine.
"The parties also pointed out the importance of holding elections in certain areas of Ukraine's eastern] Donetsk and Lugansk regions under the Ukrainian legislation and the OSCE principles provided that the security component is ensured," the statement reads.
Kiev authorities launched a military operation against independence militias in Ukraine’s east in April 2014. The confrontation has claimed over 9,000 lives, according to UN estimates.
In February 2015, leaders of Russia, France, Germany and Ukraine worked out a ceasefire deal in Minsk, later signed by Kiev and self-proclaimed people's republics of Donetsk and Lugansk. Under the deal, constitutional reforms aimed at decentralizing power in Ukraine and local elections in Donbass should have been concluded before the end of 2015.
