WASHINGTON, Oct. 15 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Barack Obama on Wednesday spoke to his Ukrainian counterpart Petro Poroshenko, two days before fresh negotiations start in Milan, Italy over the crisis in eastern Ukraine.
The two leaders discussed by phone "the need for all sides to fulfill their obligations" under peace deals signed in September in the Belarusian capital of Minsk, which has stemmed the violence but failed to stop the conflict completely, the White House said in a statement.
They agreed that the Asia-Europe Meeting slated for Thursday and Friday in Milan "offers a good opportunity for leaders to press President Putin to abide by all aspects of the peace plan, including putting in place an effective mechanism for controlling and monitoring the border between Russia and eastern Ukraine," the statement said.
Leaders of Germany, France and Britain are scheduled to join Poroshenko on Friday for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the Asia-Europe Meeting.
Days earlier, Putin ordered thousands of Russian troops to withdraw from the border with Ukraine, though Moscow has denied any role in the Ukrainian crisis.
The armed conflict in eastern Ukraine, which began in mid-April, has killed at least 3,660 people and wounded more than 8,750 others, according to the latest UN estimate.
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