The representative of Ukrainian government in the Contact Group on eastern Ukraine crisis Leonid Kuchma said here Thursday that the Minsk peace agreement should be extended.

"We are well aware that there is no other option than to continue negotiations," he told reporters at a media conference.

Kuchma said he expects that the leaders of the so-called Normandy format group comprising of Ukraine, Russia, Germany and France will extend the Minsk deal during the next round of their telephone talks.

"I don't think that there will be any additional document. I think that this issue will be resolved during telephone conversations in order to continue working in this format," Kuchma said.

The Minsk peace agreement aimed at ending the conflict in eastern Ukraine was reached by the leaders of the Normandy group in mid-February in Minsk, the capital of Belarus. The accord expires on Dec. 31.

Although the deal, which covers a cease-fire, prisoner exchange and withdrawal of heavy weapons from the combat area, has not been fully implemented, it has helped significantly ease the intensity of fighting and led to lower casualties.

The conflict between government troops and pro-independence insurgents in eastern Ukraine, which started in April 2014, has already claimed the lives of more than 9,000 people. Endit

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