Poroshenko says he speaks to Putin in 'Normandy format'
KYIV. March 10 (Interfax) - Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has said that he and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin speak to each other during 'Normandy format' phone calls, which can last for up to two hours.
"The president of the Russian Federation and I have spoken over the phone three times since February 15. All three [telephone conversations] were held in the 'Normandy format' involving President of France Francois Hollande and Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel. These conversations can last for up to two hours," Poroshenko told the First National television station on Monday evening.
These conversations usually address a broad agenda, ranging from the possibility of releasing Ukrainian pilot Nadezhda Savchenko, held in Moscow over the murder of Russian journalists in eastern Ukraine, to the work of the Special Monitoring Mission of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, he said.
When asked to assess Putin's stance at these talks, Poroshenko said: "It seems to me that he is governed by his understanding of Russia's interests. I do not accept this understanding."