Ukraine, rebels urged to sign deal extending arms withdrawal

A member of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic forces gestures as he sits with others on an armored vehicle on the roadside near the site of the Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 plane crash outside the village of Hrabove in Donetsk region, Ukraine, July 17, 2015. REUTERS/Kazbek Basaev

PARIS (Reuters) - The leaders of France, Germany, Russia and Ukraine agreed in a telephone call on Thursday that preliminary accords to extend a pull-back of weapons in east Ukraine should be signed quickly, French President Francois Hollande's office said.

Ukraine and pro-Russian separatists agreed earlier this week that tanks and smaller weapons systems should also be withdrawn in addition to heavy artillery, as was previously agreed.