German FM urges all parties in Ukraine crisis to honor truce deal KIEV, Nov. 18 (Xinhua) -- Visiting German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Tuesday urged all parties involved in the conflicts of eastern Ukraine to comply with the Minsk ceasefire agreement to defuse the crisis. Minsk deal was not perfect, but it remains a landmark roadmap. That's why we need to implement this agreement," Steinmeier told reporters after meeting with Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseny Yatsenyuk. Noting that the situation in eastern Ukraine was deteriorating in recent months, Steinmeier said that the European Union will "lend a helping hand" to Kiev to de-escalate the tension. The German foreign minister also said that his visit to Moscow later on Tuesday is aimed at seeking ways to end the crisis in eastern Ukraine. The Ukrainian government and the pro-independence rebels in Donetsk and Lugansk inked a ceasefire agreement on Sept. 5 in Minsk, capital of Belarus, at a meeting also attended by envoys from Russia and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. The frequent violations of the truce, however, have impaired its effect on alleviating the conflicts.