Russia expects the Normandy format summit in Berlin to give new impetus for ceasefire accords in Donbass to be implemented in practice, Speaker of Russia's upper house Valentina Matvienko said.
"We hope that the meeting in Berlin will give a new impetus for the Minsk agreements to be carried out in practice," she said.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the sides also discussed the process of creating a road map on the Donbass settlement progress. "Russia has advocated and continues to advocate for the implementation of a road map set out in the Minsk agreements. There is no other alternative," Sputnik cited Matvienko as saying.
Russia, Germany, France and Ukraine agree that the Minsk agreements must be the basis for the Ukrainian crisis settlement, Russian President Vladimir Putin said early Thursday following marathon talks in Berlin.
