Putin to Avoid Obama at D-Day Anniversary in France

RTR3RU1C
Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a sports festival for families with many children at the Adler Arena in Sochi, June 2, 2014. Aleksey Nikolskyi/RIA Novosti/Kremlin/Reuters

SOCHI Russia (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet German Chancellor Angela Merkel in France on Friday during a visit on the 70th anniversary of the Allied D-Day landings in World War Two, Putin's foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov said.

Plans for meetings with French President Francois Hollande and British Prime Minister David Cameron during the visit to France had already been announced, but Ushakov told reporters no meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama is planned.

Separately, the Kremlin said that in a telephone conversation on Tuesday, Putin and Merkel called for coordinated measures to defuse the crisis in Ukraine and discussed talks between Russia, Ukraine and the European Union on gas supplies.

Editor's Picks

Newsweek cover
  • Newsweek magazine delivered to your door
  • Unlimited access to Newsweek.com
  • Ad free Newsweek.com experience
  • iOS and Android app access
  • All newsletters + podcasts
Newsweek cover
  • Unlimited access to Newsweek.com
  • Ad free Newsweek.com experience
  • iOS and Android app access
  • All newsletters + podcasts