German foreign minister - Minsk deal not all we would have wished for

BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany's foreign minister said an agreement between the leaders of Russia, Ukraine, Germany and France on the Ukraine crisis was not all Germany would have wished for, but it was a much-needed step away from violence and towards fresh political momentum.

"The most important thing is that Moscow and Kiev agreed on a ceasefire... we strengthened the Minsk accords of last September," Frank-Walter Steinmeier said in a statement.