In the course of the NATO Summit, President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko had a meeting with President of France François Hollande.

The Head of State informed his French colleague on serious deterioration of the situation in the East of Ukraine due to the expansion of Russian aggression. Petro Poroshenko expressed gratitude for the decisive support of France to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine and for the readiness to take further steps jointly with the EU partners to de-escalate the situation.

In his turn, François Hollande noted that growing tension in the East of Ukraine creates risks for the entire Europe. He emphasized the readiness of France to facilitate further negotiations with a view to settle the situation, particularly in the Normandy format. He also confirmed that France had suspended the delivery of Mistral ships to Russia.

Petro Poroshenko expressed gratitude to François Hollande for the given decision. "The timing of this decision is excellent," the President said.

The parties also discussed first-priority issues of bilateral agenda in political, military-technical and trade-economic spheres.

Particular attention has been paid to the situation in Ukraine in the context of future parliamentary elections and to the measures taken by the Ukrainian government to stabilize economic situation and carry out reforms.

Source: Press office of President of Ukraine http://www.president.gov.ua/en/news/31163.html