The telephone call focused on the conflict in Eastern Ukraine. Foreign Minister Maas and his French colleague Le Drian stressed the ongoing efforts of Germany and France in the Normandy format (Russia, Ukraine, Germany and France) to achieve more and substantial progress towards resolving the conflict. The Ministers discussed the state of the negotiations on implementing the Minsk agreements of 2014/2015 and the conclusions of the Paris Summit of December 2019. In this regard, Russia, too, remains called upon to continue making a positive contribution towards resolving the conflict.

The forthcoming first anniversary of the agreement on additional measures aimed at stabilising the ceasefire on 22 July can serve as a landmark for reaffirming adherence to the ceasefire.

In the light of recent troop movements and exercises, the Foreign Ministers called to mind the transparency requirements set out in the Vienna Document.

Against the background of the current tensions at the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, the unresolved conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan concerning the Nagorno-Karabakh region was also discussed.