Ukrainian President has spoken twice with Putin this year
Since the beginning of the year, the President of Ukraine, Petro Poroshenko, has had two telephone conversations with Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to the Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration of Ukraine, Konstantin Yeliseyev, as stated in an interview with Hromadske.
At the same time, he noted that these conversations were strictly coordinated with Ukraine's partners in the Normandy format - Germany and France.
Yeliseyev said that Poroshenko's conversations with Putin centered on two issues: the aggravation of the situation near Avdiivka and the progress in the release of hostages in the Donbas, as well as the transfer of political prisoners from Russian prisons to Ukraine.
"At that time there was an apogee of the crisis in Avdiivka, and the phone call was made to stop the shooting and allow the restoration of the vital infrastructure in the area," Yeliseyev said.
Yeliseyev also confirmed that negotiations on the issue of political prisoners continue, but did not mention the details and names, stating that such talks "prefer silence."
Poroshenko expects that a decision by the European Union to extend sanctions against Russia will be made before March 20th.