Russia's foreign minister Sergei Lavrov has said that a ceasefire in Ukraine must be the top concern in negotiations taking place today.
Lavrov said that Ukrainian troops must be removed from the area since they could harm civilians, reported the BBC.
Ukrainian and Russian officials will soon hold discussions with pro-Russian separatists and international monitors in the Belarusian capital, Minsk.
Around 2,600 people have died in the violence in Eastern Ukraine since April.
Large areas of Luhansk and Donetsk towns in Ukraine have been captured by the separatists.
The meetings between Putin and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko last week did not lead to a viable solution.
