French president proposes PMs to meet in "Normandy format"
BRUSSELS. Aug 20 (Interfax) - French President Francois Hollande said he has proposed the consideration of the idea of calling a four-party meeting of the prime ministers of France, Germany, Russia, and Ukraine to discuss ways to overcome the Ukrainian crisis.
It is necessary to have dialogue and this was shown by organizing the first meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko in Normandy on June 6, Hollande said in an interview with Le Monde newspaper on Wednesday. And now a new opportunity to consider the idea of a meeting between prime ministers of Ukraine, Russia, France, and Germany in order to find a way out from the crisis has appeared, the French president said.
According to Hollande, this presupposes a ceasefire, the cessation of weapons supplies, establishing control over the border and holding political dialogue.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel will go to Ukraine on Saturday, August 23, Hollande said. The French president said that he was in contact with Russian President Vladimir Putin and that they had talked on August 12. According to Hollande, he told Putin that if the crisis was not overcome quicly, it would cost Russians dearly economically and politically.
