German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier has called for the speedy convening of a new round of talks of the contact group on the settlement of the conflict in eastern Ukraine, reads a statement posted on the website of the German Federal Foreign Office.

"We support the efforts of the OSCE to bring together all participants of the contact group at the negotiating table as soon as possible. All parties are encouraged to constructively use their influence on the conflicting sides and thus make an important contribution to the stabilization of the situation," Steinmeier said.

He also welcomed the recent agreement reached between the conflicting sides in Ukraine on the exchange of prisoners.

"The fact that negotiations on the exchange of several hundred prisoners in Ukraine were the result of the last round of the Minsk talks is an encouraging and very important signal," he said.

According to Steinmeier, now it is necessary to continue talks on the line of contact between the conflicting parties, which, in turn, is also required for humanitarian assistance to the people living in the region.

Earlier, in a telephone conversation with Ukrainian President Peter Poroshenko, German Chancellor Angela Merkel expressed regret that the negotiations of the contact group in Minsk had not been brought to an end.

Negotiations of the contact group on the settlement of the conflict in east Ukraine took place in Minsk on December 24. The Ukrainian side was represented at the talks by second President Leonid Kuchma (1994-2005). The date of the next meeting is not yet known.