Putin and Poroshenko surprised journalists at the beginning of negotiations in Minsk
Minsk - Kyiv, August 26 (Navigator, Mikhail Ryabov) - Vladimir Putin and Petro Poroshenko surprised journalists present at the beginning of negotiations on the Ukrainian crisis in Minsk.
The leader of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev, spoke first, again repeating the thesis about the need for a ceasefire. He stated that he was ready to host the next summit dedicated to Ukraine.
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Next, the Russian president took the floor. Putin spoke for 10 minutes about the economy, connections between enterprises dating back to Soviet times, and the negative consequences of the agreement with the EU, only briefly mentioning the military conflict, notes Associated Press journalist Natalya Vasilyeva.
Poroshenko responded by assuring that Ukraine is interested in maintaining ties with the countries of the Customs Union and strives for peace, and today the task in Minsk is to find ways out of the conflict. The Ukrainian president spoke in Russian.
Poroshenko, like Putin, did not focus on military operations or talk about the invasion of Russian troops, but at the same time emphasized that Kyiv does not intend to trade its independence or territory.
After opening remarks, the part of the negotiations open to the press ended.
English version :: Read in English Putin and Poroshenko surprised journalists at the start of talks in Minsk