German foreign minister sees reduction of violence in east Ukraine

People walk past a destroyed building in the town of Vuhlehirsk, north-east from Donetsk, March 8, 2015. REUTERS/Marko Djurica

BUCHAREST (Reuters) - Violence in eastern Ukraine has reduced significantly since a ceasefire deal was agreed in Minsk, Germany's Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said on Monday during a visit to Romania.

"A clear beginning was made," he said, according to a Romanian interpreter. "There's a significant reduction of violence after hardships at the beginning. Today, we don't have hundreds of breaches of the ceasefire, there are not many question marks regarding it."