Merkel, Hollande talk Ukraine peace process with Putin, Poroshenko

PanARMENIAN.Net - The leaders of France and Germany complained to Russian President Vladimir Putin about Moscow’s airstrikes in Syria—and then held hours of negotiations with the Russian leader to keep the peace process in eastern Ukraine on track, the Washington Post reports.

The talks at a summit here Friday, October 2, displayed Europe’s conflicted relations with Putin. Russia’s airstrikes have challenged Europe and the U.S. by targeting Western-backed groups fighting in Syria. Yet in Ukraine, Europe is counting on Putin to help secure a lasting peace, a move that could lead Europe to lift its economic sanctions against Moscow for backing pro-Russia rebels.

French President François Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel met with Putin and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko for five hours into the early evening to the discuss the situation in Ukraine. A ceasefire in the country’s east has held for more than a month, lifting hopes that a permanent truce is in sight between the rebels and the government in Kiev.

“It will take time to organize elections in Ukraine that respect international standards and as a result, the so-called Minsk peace process will run into next year,” French President Francois Hollande said.

"On the election issue ... it will take longer. We don't want elections to get held in eastern Ukrainian territories under conditions that would not respect Minsk," said Hollande, speaking after hosting talks with the Russian, Ukrainian and German leaders.

"It's therefore likely, even certain now, that -- since we need three months to organize elections -- we would go beyond the date that was set for the end of Minsk, that is to say Dec.31, 2015," he told a news conference.