Reuters quotes Russia's Foreign Ministry as saying that "certain progress" was made at last night's talks. It added that there was agreement on more talks that could produce proposals to deescalate the situation in Ukraine.
That sounds to have fallen short of Steinmeier's hope for "a road map toward a sustainable cease-fire and a framework for effective border controls."
A wrap-up of the overnight meeting between the Russian, Ukrainian, French, and German foreign ministers, from our newsroom:
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier has said Ukraine crisis talks in Berlin were "difficult" but made "some progress."
Steinmeier spoke early on August 18 after a five-hour meeting with his counterparts from Russia, Ukraine, and France -- Sergei Lavrov, Pavlo Klimkin, and Laurent Fabius.
“I think and I hope that we have made some progress on certain points," Steinmeier said.
AFP news agency quoted a French diplomatic source as saying, "Despite the difficult climate, we have registered some progress."
Steinmeier said the ministers will report back to their respective heads of government and “possibly” decide on August 18-19 how to continue the talks.
He said the ministers focused on how to bring about a cease-fire in eastern Ukraine, where government forces are battling pro-Russian separatists, and how to improve border controls along the Russian-Ukrainian border.
That concludes our live blogging for Sunday, August 17. Follow our continuing coverage HERE of events in Ukraine and throughout our broadcast region.
It's so hard to bring separatists to heel like you used to.
The pro-Russian side escalating further. This morning separatists downed another military jet, a major column of tanks and armed vehicles was said to have been spotted, now this...
The Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council tweeted this a short while ago, saying the "situation of the 'humanitarian convoy' unchanged - in Russia, our customs officers require documents for crossing, not given."