Merkel presses Putin to ensure Ukraine ceasefire holds

German Chancellor Angela Merkel addresses a news conference with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko at the Chancellery in Berlin, Germany, February 1, 2016. REUTERS/Hannibal Hanschke

BERLIN (Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel pressed Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday to use his influence to ensure a ceasefire is upheld in eastern Ukraine and OSCE monitors are granted free access to conflict areas, her spokesman said.

"Here, Russia must assert its influence on the separatists," spokesman Steffen Seibert said in a statement, describing Merkel's message to Putin.