Russia says Western leaders note progress in ceasefire in Ukraine

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia's President Vladimir Putin, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Francois Hollande and Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko noted "certain progress" in a ceasefire in eastern Ukraine during a telephone conversation, the Kremlin said.

The leaders of four countries also noted progress in the withdrawal of heavy weapons from the region, the Kremlin said in a statement on Thursday.