First meeting: Putin and Zalanski meet and discuss war in eastern Ukraine

At a summit organized by Macron in Paris, the Russian and Ukrainian presidents, with Merkel's participation, discussed the agreements previously signed to end the conflict that took the lives of thousands of people. Putin described that the meeting was good and in Kiev they said that the president strongly defended their country's interests. However, no final peace agreement is expected

First meeting: Putin and Zalanski meet and discuss war in eastern Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin first met on Monday for official talks with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zlanski on the conflict in eastern Ukraine. President Putin said the meeting was good and he was pleased. Ukraine's Interior Minister Arsene Abakov said: "The President has conducted the talks well and has vigorously defended our interests."

The Paris summit, organized by French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel - is not expected to lead to a final peace agreement between the two countries, but diplomats hope the meeting will help boost confidence between the two.

Thousands of people have been killed and about a million residents have fled their homes since the Pro-Russian militias in eastern Ukraine launched a separatist uprising in 2014 that led to considerable distances between Russia and the West. Separatists have ruled the Donetsk and Lugansk region since the annexation of the Crimea by Moscow. The annexation of Crimea, which catapulted Putin into Russia's polls but led to the imposition of international sanctions, is not at issue.

Kiev has made it clear that it is determined not to give up the peninsula, where the international community sees part of Ukraine. The Kremlin signaled that he was ready to work with Zalansky, whom Putin described as "kind" and "yes," but he also did not want to return empty-handed and strained to win the sanctions.

Putin and Salansky in Paris, today (Photo: AP)

Russian President Vladimir Putin and President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zlansky in Paris, December 9, 2019 (Photo: AP)

According to a source in the Bureau of France, the summit's goals include agreeing to dismantle illegal militias, the departure of foreign fighters from Donetsk and Logansk and redeployment of Ukraine on its border with Russia. "There remains the problem of trust between the parties required for progress," said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Another key point is agreement on a timetable for holding elections in Donetsk and Lugansk under Ukrainian law, granting special status to these areas, an idea known as the Steinmei formula, named for the former Foreign Minister of Germany and its president today.

The summit today is the first in three years, and it seeks to implement agreements signed in Minsk in 2015 calling for the removal of heavy weapons, restoring Kiev's control of its borders, wider autonomy and holding local elections. Zalansky, who has been in office for only a few months, has faced turbulent resistance from a too-big concession for Putin.

(Update first: 12:55)

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