MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Moscow hopes that the plan initiated by the French and German leaders to settle the Ukrainian crisis includes Russian President Vladimir Putin’s suggestions, Russian Presidential Aide Yuri Ushakov said Thursday.
“I hope that [the plan] carries a complex character and takes into consideration the numerous suggestions that were put forward by our president,” Ushakov said.
French President Francois Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel will visit Kiev later in the day to discuss a new approach on settling the crisis in Ukraine. On Friday, the two leaders will arrive in Moscow to meet with Russian President Putin.
Speaking to reporters, the French leader voiced expectations to prepare a document that would "satisfy all sides of the conflict."
The need for renewed efforts arose after the Ukrainian conflict reconciliation agreement reached by the Contact Group in September 2014 failed to prevent the surge of violence in eastern Ukraine since the start of 2015.
France, Germany, Russia and Ukraine compose the so-called Normandy format group talks aimed at settling the Ukrainian crisis. The Normandy format ministerial-level meeting on January 21 in Berlin failed to produce positive results.