Poroshenko's hopes of Donbas de-escalation pinned on Berlin meeting

"I hope that the Berlin talks will result in the discontinuation of the escalation of the situation in Donbas," he told a press conference held with the French and German leaders in Berlin on Monday evening. The three countries' leaders discussed the need to guarantee security for the international monitors of the OSCE (Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe) Special Monitoring Mission, Poroshenko said. The Ukrainian head of state also said that the parties had agreed on the need to ensure unhindered access for the monitors to the whole of Donbas, "including the uncontrolled section of the Ukrainian-Russian border."