Ukraine's territory must not be violated, Germany tells Russia

BERLIN, Dec 14 (Reuters) - Germany's new Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock discussed the crisis in Ukraine with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, stressing that Ukraine's territorial integrity must not be violated, the German Foreign Office said on Tuesday.

In the call, the first publicly announced contact between Berlin and Moscow since the new German government took office last week, the ministry said Germany wanted a dialogue based on "honesty and openness" with Russia.

Calling for progress to be made in the so-called Normandy talks on resolving the Ukraine crisis, the ministry said visa-free travel for young Russians had also come up in the call, in which the ministers also discussed cooperation on hydrogen.

"We want honest and open dialogue," the ministry wrote on Twitter. "The territorial integrity of Ukraine must not be violated."

(Reporting by Thomas Escritt Editing by Paul Carrel)