Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko have discussed the possibility of meeting, either alone or with the leaders of Germany and France, a senior Kremlin official said Friday.
Poroshenko and Putin have met twice since pro-Russian separatists rebelled in east Ukraine in April. Poroshenko said Thursday that he and Putin would meet in Europe in the next three weeks "in a multilateral format."
"Our president and Mr. Poroshenko are, in phone calls, discussing a possible personal contact in a bilateral or international format … with the participation of the German chancellor and the French president," foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov told reporters. "But precise dates have not yet been discussed."
Kiev and its Western backers accuse Moscow of sending in troops and arming the separatists in Ukraine. Moscow denies this.
Ushakov also criticized U.S. President Barack Obama for making 'strange" comments during an address at the UN General Assembly, during which he addressed problems including Russia's involvement in Ukraine.
"I don't recall any predecessors [of Obama] giving such a characterization of Russia's place and role in international affairs," Ushakov said.
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