Ukraine's Poroshenko raises issue of peacekeepers with Germany's Merkel: statement

KIEV (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, in a telephone call with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, raised the issue of deploying a peacekeeping mission to Ukraine. Violence in eastern Ukraine has continued between government troops and pro-Russian rebels despite a ceasefire. "The president of Ukraine underscored the importance of coordinating efforts for the deployment of a peacekeeping mission in Ukraine and especially noted that Ukraine wants the mission to be formed as a European Union mission," a statement from his website said. (Reporting by Thomas Grove; Editing by Larry King)