(VOVworld) – The foreign ministers of Russia, Germany, France, and Ukraine issued an announcement urging sustainable peace and stability and an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine after meeting in Berlin on Wednesday. The announcement confirmed that the contact group will meet no later than July 5^th to seek an unconditional bilateral ceasefire under the supervision of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).

The same day, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Germany will continue to seek a diplomatic solution to Ukraine’s crisis while leaving open question of harsher sanctions against Russia. Ms. Merkel made her statement at a joint press briefing with NATO General Secretary Anders Fogh Rasmussen in Berlin. She said she regrets that Ukrainian President Poroshenko’s unilateral ceasefire over the past 10 days was unable to quell the violence in eastern Ukraine.