Cameron, Putin want 'diplomatic solution' to Ukraine crisis

LONDON -- British Prime Minister David Cameron and Russian President Vladimir Putin

Ukraine crisis

on Sunday agreed in a phone call that they both want to find a "diplomatic solution" to the situation in Ukraine, a Downing Street spokesperson said Sunday.

"The Prime Minister made clear that we, along with our European and American partners, want to work with Russia to find a diplomatic solution to the situation in Ukraine, including Crimea," the spokesperson said in a statement.

"President Putin agreed that it is in all our interests to have a stable Ukraine. He said that Russia did want to find a diplomatic solution to the crisis," the spokesperson stated.

In the phone call, Cameron also urged Putin to de-escalate the situation in Ukraine and to support the formation of a "contact group" that could lead to what Britain described as "direct talks between the governments of Russia and Ukraine," according to the spokesperson.

Putin said he would discuss the proposals on the contact group with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Monday, the spokesperson noted.

The two leaders also discussed the economic challenges facing Ukraine and agreed that the international community would need to provide financial support in the months ahead, added the spokesperson.

Confronting the Ukraine crisis, a mission from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), including two monitors from Albania, were sent to Crimea on Sunday, a press release on Albanian Council of Ministers website reads.

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