Russia/conversation with Mr Vladimir Putin, President of Russia

The President spoke to Mr Vladimir Putin, President of Russia, today.

The Head of State expressed his concern about developments in the situation in eastern Ukraine. He emphasized the very deep concerns raised by the prospect of a unilateral Russian mission on Ukrainian territory.

The President emphasized that a humanitarian operation could take place on Ukrainian territory only with the agreement of the Ukrainian national authorities, both as regards the format and the implementation arrangements. The framework must be multilateral and under the aegis of the International Committee of the Red Cross./.