Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko asked Germany, which is currently holding the OSCE chairmanship, to speed up preparations for considering a proposal on deploying an armed mission in Donbas in a telephone conversation with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande.

The Ukrainian presidential press service reported on Saturday that Poroshenko, Hollande, and Merkel shared the view that, despite the ceasefire agreements reached before Easter, the situation in Donbas remains complicated.

"The president of Ukraine in this context also mentioned the importance of deploying an armed police mission in Donbas. The president urged Germany, as the country currently holding the OSCE chairmanship, to speed up the development of relevant proposals," the presidential press service said.

Poroshenko also insisted that militants must observe the ceasefire and OSCE monitors must be provided with access to all border sections to halt Russian arms supplies to the occupied part of Donbas.

The Ukrainian, German, and French leaders agreed that security remains the main precondition for continuing the political process and that it is important to continue the dialogue to free all hostages, it said.

"During the conversation, the parties also coordinated their positions on extending the sanctions against Russia in the run-up to the G7 summit in Japan," it said.

Poroshenko also called on France and Germany to speed up internal EU procedures to grant Ukrainians visa-free travel.