27-04-2024 04:26 PM Jerusalem Timing

Moscow Talks on Ukraine Constructive: Hopes for Breakthrough

Moscow Talks on Ukraine Constructive: Hopes for Breakthrough

Five hour-long Moscow talks behind closed doors between the leaders of Russia, France and Germany have brought hopes for further dialogue between Kiev and E. Ukraine. The meeting was said to be ’constructive’

Merkel-Putin-HollandeFive hour-long Moscow talks behind closed doors between the leaders of Russia, France and Germany have brought hopes for further dialogue between Kiev and E. Ukraine. The meeting was said to be 'constructive', but peace plan details remain a mystery.

Journalists were given a mere 30 seconds to take photographs of the three leaders, and none of them uttered a single word to the press during the photo-shoot.

Friday’s visit by President Francois Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel to Moscow was a hasty one. No usual diplomatic rituals – European leaders headed straight to the Kremlin from the airport and were on their flights back very quickly after the talks.

Journalists, who spent five hours waiting had to eventually make do with only an afterword from the Russian president’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov, which didn’t shed much light on what the leaders actually talked about.

“On the basis of proposals made by the French President and German Chancellor, there is currently on-going joint work to prepare the text of a possible joint document on the implementation of the Minsk agreements – a document that would include proposals made by Ukrainian President Poroshenko and proposals put forward today by Russian President Putin,” Peskov said.