Poroshenko Wants to Talk with Putin 'to Ease' Ukraine Crisis
The president-elect of Ukraine told a German newspaper Wednesday that he planned to hold talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in a bid to "ease" the crisis in Ukraine.
"We will hold talks with Putin in order to ease the situation and make peace. When and where these talks will take place, is not yet decided," Petro Poroshenko told the Bild daily.
He was responding to a question on whether direct talks with Putin were planned for next week's D-Day commemorations in France to which both he and the Russian leader are invited.
French officials announced earlier Wednesday that President Francois Hollande had invited the Ukrainian president-elect to join the 70th anniversary commemorations of D-Day.
Putin, U.S. President Barack Obama, Britain's Queen Elizabeth II and German Chancellor Angela Merkel are also due to attend the June 6 ceremonies in Normandy.
"We are very happy about the possibility to be able to take part in this special event in France," Poroshenko told Thursday's Bild, according to excerpts released ahead of publication.
He added he had already received several invitations to make state visits and said his first official foreign trip would be to Poland.
The announcement of the invitation to Poroshenko came after Kremlin aides confirmed that Putin would have dinner with Hollande on the eve of the ceremonies, in what will be his first face-to-face encounter with a Western leader since Russia's annexation of Crimea in March.
"The sides will discuss various multilateral international questions including the Ukraine crisis," said presidential aide Yury Ushakov.
Putin may also hold informal meetings with other Western leaders on June 6, Ushakov added in what appeared to be a reference to Obama's reluctance to be seen to be normalizing ties with Putin following the stand-off created by Russia's action in Crimea and its backing of pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine.
"I personally think that if there are bilateral contacts, they will not be organised but will be on the hoof, as they say," Ushakov said.
The White House said earlier this month that Obama had no plans to meet one-on-one with Putin in France.
French officials confirmed Wednesday that Obama would have a bilateral meeting on June 5 with Hollande.
The D-Day ceremonies will be preceded by a meeting in Brussels of the leaders of the G7 major industrialized powers -- of which Russia is not a member.
The G8 grouping, which had included Moscow, was suspended after the annexation of Crimea.
Source: Agence France Presse
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