(VOVworld) – German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier Saturday said he had invited his Russian, Ukrainian, and French counterparts to talks in Berlin on May 11 to smooth differences between Moscow and Kiev.

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier (L) takes part in the weekly meeting of the German cabinet at the chancellery in Berlin on April 13, 2016. (Photo: AFP)

Steinmeier said it is necessary to give new momentum to surmount obstacles between Kiev and Moscow. He said the Berlin talks would look to the preparation of local elections in eastern Ukraine with “concrete proposals now on the table” alongside “interesting re-stabilization proposals” from the Organization for the Security and Co-operation in Europe (OECD).

According to UN’s statistic, around 10,000 people have died and more than 21,000 have been injured since the revolt against Ukraine’s pro-Western leadership erupted in April 2014. Despite a series of truce agreements, the two sides have been unable to reach a political reconciliation agreement.