Putin meets with Poroshenko

Vladimir Putin has met with Poroshenko at the D-Day celebrations

Putin: 'I'll back Poroshenko's 'positive thinking' on settling Ukraine crisis'

From Vladimir Suchan

President Putin's press conference on his visit to France, Ukraine and his meeting with Poroshenko. Some highlights:

1. Out of 18 of Ukrainians of the working age, 5-6 million are working in Russia. The Association Agreement, which the EU demands be signed by the end of this month, would force Russia to raise customs for Ukrainian products, which will make them inncompetitive on the Russian market, and the situation of Ukrainians who work in Russia would have to be reviewed as well. Ukraine's economy would be then even in a much more difficult position than it is already now.

2. Russia demands an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine. Poroshenko declared that this is also his goal.

3. According to Putin, Poroshenko's statement on solving the crisis sounded "correct" and he "liked it." However, according to Putin, what Poroshenko said in France might be different from what he is going to say in Kiev.

4. Putin de facto refused to call the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics even with their names, and, instead, referred to them under a blanket and now outdated name "supporters of federalization."

5. Putin also emphasized that Russia is not a party to the conflict in Ukraine and the Ukrainian government would need to talk to these "supporters of federalization" to whom they so far refused to talk.

6. Putin confirmed reports of the Right Sector shooting and killing conscripted soldiers who refused to obey Kiev's orders. He also confirmed the report of the National Guard (Right Sector) shooting and killing wounded patients in the hospital in Krasny Liman. In this regard, he said that Russia insists on investigation of all these crimes, including the massacre in Odessa.

7. Gazprom postponed the cut-off of gas deliveries, for which Ukraine failed to pay, upon Putin's own intervention in order to reach an understanding with Kiev. The two sides might be close to a compromise solution with the help of the "surprisingly helpful" European Commission of the EU.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4tbqnX1Rr18