The leaders of France, Germany, Russia and Ukraine on Wednesday said the truce between government forces and pro-Russian insurgents in east Ukraine had been "generally respected since September 1", the French presidency said in a statement.

In a phone conversation that lasted for 90 minutes, Francois Hollande, Angela Merkel, Vladimir Putin and Petro Poroshenko said everything must be done "to make this situation last and allow the OSCE special observer mission to have permanent, safe and unrestricted access" to the affected areas, the statement from the Elysee Palace added.