Putin hopes for new deal on Ukraine ceasfire
Iran Press TV
Sat Dec 6, 2014 5:17PM GMT
Russian President Vladimir Putin has expressed hope that a new deal would be reached for the implementation of ceasefire in eastern Ukraine.
Putin made the remarks after talks with French President Francois Hollande during a brief stopover at Moscow's Vnukovo Airport on Saturday, saying Russia backs the territorial integrity of Ukraine.
'Mister President, I decided we should discuss problems regarding the Ukraine crisis,' Hollande told Putin, adding that he hoped for an end to the crisis in Ukraine.
Hollande is the most senior Western leader visiting Russia since Crimea's reunification with Russia in March.
The representatives of Kiev, Moscow, and self-proclaimed Donetsk and Lugansk republics signed a truce agreement on September 5 in the Belarusian capital, Minsk. However, it has been violated on many occasions.
The two mainly Russian-speaking regions of Donetsk and Lugansk in eastern Ukraine have been the scene of deadly clashes between pro-Russia protesters and the Ukrainian army since Kiev's military operation started in mid-April in a bid to crush the protests.
Violence intensified in May after the two flashpoint regions held local referendums in which their residents voted overwhelmingly in favor of independence from Ukraine and joining the Russian Federation.
According to reports, around 4,300 people have lost their lives in eight months of deadly conflict in east Ukraine.
AB/KA/SS
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