Germany's Steinmeier warns Ukraine ceasefire is fragile

BERLIN German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier warned on Tuesday that the ceasefire in eastern Ukraine between Ukrainian government forces and pro-Russian separatists was becoming more fragile.

Steinmeier, in a statement, condemned violations of the ceasefire over the Christmas holiday. "I urgently call on all sides to strictly adhere to the ceasefire in the interests of people in the conflict areas," he said.

Germany, with France, Russia and Ukraine, brokered the ceasefire at talks in the Belarussian capital Minsk last February as the basis for a possible lasting settlement of the crisis.

More than 9,000 people have been killed in the conflict which erupted in April 2014 after a Moscow-backed president fled power in the face of street protests in Kiev.

Steinmeier pointed to progress in military de-escalation and the withdrawal of weapons by the two sides, but said important questions still had to be resolved.

These included agreeing on a special law for local elections in parts of the east controlled by separatists and improving the humanitarian situation.

"Even if the situation in eastern Ukraine has disappeared from the headlines, there is no reason to sit back ... The ceasefire is increasingly fragile," he said.

He called on all sides to release prisoners and hostages, to lift limits on the registration of aid organizations in the east and to get the water supply back there.

"We must continue to work so that the local elections take place at the beginning of 2016 and the Minsk package of measures is completely implemented," he said.

(Reporting by Madeline Chambers; Editing by Richard Balmforth)