Obama told Putin he must de-escalate Ukraine tensions
6 June 2014, 20:29 -- President Barack Obama personally told Vladimir Putin Friday he must de-escalate tensions in Ukraine or face deeper international isolation.
According to French Press agency wit reference to a US official the warning came as the Russian and US presidents had a 15-minute informal encounter at a lunch for leaders attending D-Day 70th anniversary commemorations in Normandy, France.
Putin had conversation with Obama during ceremony in Normandy
Russian President Vladimir Putin had a brief conversation about Ukraine with his US counterpart, Barack Obama, during the D Day ceremony in Normandy, France on Friday, said spokesman for the Russian head of state Dmitry Peskov. 'Despite the fact that there was no separate meeting, the two leaders had an opportunity to exchange views on the situation in Ukraine, as well as the crisis in the east of the country. Putin and Obama acknowledged the need for an urgent cessation of violence and hostilities,' Peskov said.
The talks on the sidelines of ceremonies to mark the 70th anniversary of the Allied landings in Normandy came right after a short conversation between Putin, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Ukraine's President-elect Petr Poroshenko. Earlier in the day President Putin met Chancellor Merkel behind closed doors to discuss compromises and solutions to the current standoff in Ukraine.
On Thursday, the Russian leader held separate talks with British Prime Minister David Cameron and French President Francois Hollande also focused on the Ukrainian crisis. In an interview with the French media ahead of his trip to Normandy Putin stressed that he was open for talks with everyone and was not going to avoid any of his colleagues intentionally.
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
|
|
|
