Angeka Merkel asks Ukraine to keep sense of proportion against separatists

German Chancellor Angela Merkel told Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko in a phone call late on Thursday to keep a sense of proportion in his actions against separatists and to protect civilians, a German government spokesman said on Friday.

"The Chancellor urged President Poroshenko to maintain a sense of proportion in his legitimate actions against the separatists and to protect the civilian population," German government spokesman Steffen Seibert said in a statement.

"Both agreed that talks of the contact group ... are urgently needed now in order to begin the implementation of Poroshenko's peace plan and a mutual ceasefire," he said.

(Reporting by Annika Breidthardt and Alexandra Hudson; Editing by Stephen Brown)