Russian President Vladimir Putin could hold talks with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko next week on the sidelines of a summit of Asian and European leaders in Milan, the Kremlin said on Thursday.
Kremlin foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov confirmed Putin would attend the ASEM (Europe-Asia Meeting) summit in the northern Italian city on Oct. 16-17 and said German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande might take part in the talks with Poroshenko.
"A series of meetings is planned with Western partners, where Ukraine will be the key theme," TASS news agency quoted Ushakov as saying.
He said a "Normandy-style meeting" could not be ruled out — a reference to talks in France in June that involved Putin, Merkel, Hollande and Poroshenko.
Putin also met Poroshenko in August in the Belarussian capital Minsk, where they agreed on the need for a cease-fire in eastern Ukraine, where pro-Russian separatists rose up in April. A cease-fire was agreed on Sept. 5 and is still in place, although some fighting has continued.
Ushakov said on Sept. 26 that Poroshenko and Putin had discussed the possibility of a meeting in the next three weeks, alone or in a multilateral format.
The European Union and the United States have imposed sanctions on Russia over the conflict in Ukraine, where Moscow has annexed the Crimea peninsula and is accused by the West of providing the separatists with troops and weapons.
Moscow denies the accusations but Ushakov said Putin would not ask Western leaders to lift the sanctions.
The ASEM meeting is also being attended by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, who will visit Russia on his way to Italy, and by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
Ushakov said a meeting was also possible with Abe, whose country has imposed sanctions on Russia over the Ukraine crisis but has been trying to improve relations with Moscow.
In further diplomacy on the Ukraine crisis, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry are expected to meet in Paris on Oct. 14.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.
