Merkel again urges Putin to free Ukrainian sailors

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has held a telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

They talked about the liberation of Ukrainian sailors, Donbas and Syria, German Government Spokesperson Ulrike Demmer wrote on Twitter.

"German Chancellor Angela Merkel called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to release Ukrainian sailors who were captured by the Russian side near the Kerch Strait in late November 2018," Demmer wrote.

Merkel also welcomed the agreement to establish a New Year's truce in eastern Ukraine.

On December 27, the security subgroup of the Trilateral Contact Group (TCG) agreed on the introduction of a ceasefire regime in the area of hostilities in Donbas from December 29.