FILE PHOTO: German Chancellor Angela Merkel speaks during a joint news conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin following their meeting in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, Russia May 18, 2018. REUTERS/Sergei Karpukhin

BERLIN (Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko spoke by telephone on Monday about Merkel’s visit to Russia last week, efforts to implement the Minsk agreement and gas transit through Ukraine, a spokeswoman said.

“Both parties agreed to remain in close contact on these issues and to deepen cooperation,” Martina Fietz, a spokeswoman for the German government, said in a statement.

Merkel held talks with President Vladimir Putin in Sochi, Russia, on Friday, and stressed the need for the continuation of gas transit via Ukraine even after the completion of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, which will circumvent the country.