Kremlin says troop withdrawal delays in east Ukraine are cause for concern

The Kremlin said on Tuesday it was deeply concerned about reports of a delay in the withdrawal of troops in eastern Ukraine, but that it hoped the process would still be completed.

The Ukrainian military and pro-Russian separatist forces began a phased troop withdrawal in the eastern Ukrainian town of Zolote last week, part of a series of measures to end a conflict that has killed more than 13,000 people.

Speaking on a conference call with reporters, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow would like a four-way international summit on eastern Ukraine to be held soon, but that preparatory work needed to be carried out first.

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