Foreign ministers visit eastern Ukraine as fresh ceasefire begins

Foreign Ministers Frank-Walter Steinmeier of Germany (L), Jean-Marc Ayrault of France (R) and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko pose for a picture during a meeting in Kiev, Ukraine, September 14, 2016. REUTERS/Genya Savilov/Pool

SLOVIANSK, Ukraine (Reuters) - Foreign ministers from Germany, France and Ukraine visited eastern Ukraine on Thursday, hours after Russian-backed separatists and Ukrainian forces agreed to a ceasefire in a conflict that has killed over 9,600 since spring 2014.

"The ceasefire gives us a chance to work on the other things that are so important...We've had six months of stagnation and that has worsened the security situation," German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier told reporters on Thursday.