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Putin, German chancellor discuss Minsk agreements, gas problem - Peskov

“During the long (about 2.5 hours) and detailed talk, Putin and Merkel synchronised positions on the implementation of the Minsk agreements", - Russian presidential spokesman said

Russian President Vladimir Putin meets German Chancellor Angela Merkel to discuss the implementation of the Minsk agreements

© RUPTLY/TASS TV

MILAN, October 17. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Angela Merkel discussed the implementation of the Minsk agreements on the settlement of the situation in Ukraine and the gas problem, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday.

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“During the long (about 2.5 hours) and detailed talk, Putin and Merkel synchronised positions on the implementation of the Minsk agreements. They paid priority attention to completing disengagement of the conflicting parties in southeastern Ukraine,” Peskov said.

“Serious disagreements remain on the origin of the internal Ukrainian crisis and the sources of the events that are now happening there,” he said.

Putin and Merkel discussed monitoring of the ceasefire and “the nuances of the gas dossier”, Peskov said.

The Ukrainian problem will be discussed on the sidelines of the Asia Europe Meeting (ASEM) summit in Milan within expanded formats with the participation of Vladimir Putin, Peskov also said.

“We expect the dialogue on this issue to continue within expanded formats,” Peskov said answering a question of the talks in the so-called “Normandy” format.

“On Friday, early in the morning, a breakfast will be given for Russian President Vladimir Putin, Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, United Kingdom Prime Minister David Cameron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Francois Hollande and Ukrainian President Pyotr Poroshenko, as well as European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso and President of the EU Council Herman Van Rompuy,” Peskov said.

Putin arrived in Milan on Thursday evening to take part in the 10th Asia Europe Meeting (ASEM) summit. Particularly, the summiteers are expected to discuss the settlement of the crisis in Ukraine and the gas problem. Putin is also planning to discuss these issues during his bilateral meetings in Milan.

Putin arrived in Italy from Serbia where he held talks with the country’s leaders and took part in the celebrations marking the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Belgrade from Nazis.

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Ukraine crisis Vladimir Putin Angela Merkel Eastern Ukraine Dmitry Peskov Italy Russia-Ukraine Gas Dispute

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