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Germany says far from political solution in Ukraine

by Reuters
Sunday, 17 August 2014 16:56 GMT

BERLIN, Aug 17 (Reuters) - German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said on Sunday before a meeting with his counterparts from Ukraine, Russia and France that a political solution to the standoff in eastern Ukraine remained far off.

"The situation in Ukraine remains difficult. The news from today shows that we are far from an end to the conflict. People are still dying. We have no ceasefire. We are far away from a political solution," Steinmeier said.

He also expressed hope that an agreement could be reached on allowing a Russian humanitarian aid convoy into Ukraine, saying "we will see this evening if the final obstacles can be overcome."

"It would be good if this humanitarian aid could arrive where it is needed, in Luhansk, in Donetsk and other cities in eastern Ukraine," he added.

Ukraine and Russia have been at loggerheads for days over the convoy of 280 Russian trucks, with Kiev warning that it could be a Trojan Horse for Russia to get weapons to rebels, a notion Moscow has dismissed as absurd. (Reporting by Michelle Martin and Gernot Heller; Writing by Noah Barkin)

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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