Russian President Vladimir Putin has said after talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel that the peace process in eastern Ukraine was progressing despite difficulties.
Ms Merkel reaffirmed her support for the peace efforts and repeated her calls to Mr Putin to use his influence with pro-Russian separatists.
Pro-Russian separatists are battling Kiev government forces to end a conflict in which more than 6,000 people have been killed since April 2014.
Relations between Russia and Germany, which have multi-billion-dollar trade and energy links, have soured sharply over Moscow's annexation of Ukraine's Crimean region and its support for the separatists.
Berlin has strongly backed the Western economic sanctions subsequently imposed on Russia.
The German chancellor was visiting Russia for events to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe, although she stayed away from a military parade on Red Square yesterday.
Ms Merkel and French President Francois Hollande helped broker the Minsk ceasefire deal on 12 February but it has been violated many times.
Both sides report small numbers of casualties on an almost daily basis.
Before their talks today, Mr Putin and Ms Merkel took part in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier by the walls of the Kremlin.
