Macron & Putin agreed to collaborate on ceasefire in east Ukraine

According to Macron's office, French President Emmanuel Macron and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed on Sunday to work toward a ceasefire in eastern Ukraine. 

They also agreed on "the need to favour a diplomatic solution to the ongoing crisis and to do everything possible to achieve one" during a 105-minute phone conversation, the Elysee said, adding that French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov would meet "in the coming days."

Putin and Macron said they would work "vigorously" to allow the Trilateral Contact Group, which includes Ukraine, Russia, and the OSCE, to meet "within the next few hours" with the goal of "getting all interested parties to commit to a ceasefire at the contact line" in eastern Ukraine, where government troops and pro-Russian separatists face off. 

Macron's office stated that "intense diplomatic effort will take place in the next days," with multiple consultations scheduled in the French capital.

Macron and Putin also agreed to resume discussions with Russia, Ukraine, France, and Germany to execute the so-called Minsk agreement, which called for a cease-fire in eastern Ukraine in 2014. 

According to Macron's office, the two also agreed to work on "a high-level summit with the goal of creating a new peace and security order in Europe."