Merkel meets with Ukrainian President Poroshenko

German Chancellor Angela Merkel was greeted by Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko as she arrived in Kiev on Thursday for a meeting aimed at strengthening relations between the countries.

Germany, which has led EU efforts to end a bloody conflict in eastern Ukraine, allowed Russia this year to expand a lucrative natural gas pipeline directly to Germany.

Ukraine has condemned the pipeline, Nord Stream 2, saying it undermines the sanctions against Russia.

Merkel's talks with Poroshenko were expected to focus on reinforcing bilateral ties and continuing peace efforts for eastern Ukraine.

More than 10,000 people have been killed in the conflict near the Russian border, according to UN estimates.

The Ukrainian parliament voted last month to extend special legal provisions for the eastern conflict regions until the end of next year.

Germany sees the legal extension as proof that Ukraine is sticking to a 2015 peace deal clinched in the Belarusian capital Minsk between Poroshenko and Russian President Vladimir Putin, with mediation by Merkel.

Germany has called on all parties to respect the terms of the Minsk deal, including a ceasefire and the withdrawal of heavy artillery and troops from the front lines.

The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), which monitors the conflict, reiterated its call this week for the warring sides to uphold the Minsk agreement, which is regularly violated. The OSCE blamed both sides for the ongoing violence.