Leaders discuss settling conflict:

The Kremlin says that the leaders of Russia, France, Germany and Ukraine have spoken by telephone about ways to settle the conflict in eastern Ukraine.

A Kremlin statement said the participants in the call early Tuesday emphasized the need to observe a cease-fire and discussed raising the efficiency of a monitoring mission by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

The Kremlin statement added that Russian President Vladimir Putin, French President Francois Hollande, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko discussed giving the OSCE mission additional powers. (AP)