Hollande, Merkel ask Putin to allow drones on Ukraine border

Paris, Oct 31 (IANS/EFE) French President Francois Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel have urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to facilitate the deployment of drones to supervise the truce in the pro-Russian separatist territories in eastern Ukraine.

The Elysee Palace said in a statement Thursday that both leaders had asked Putin to "facilitate the ongoing discussion" at the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) for the use of French and German drones in the ceasefire monitoring mission.

Hollande and Merkel spoke Thursday with Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart, Petro Poroshenko, to stress the need to ensure effective control over the border between Ukraine and Russia.

The pro-Russian separatist rebels and the government in Kiev agreed Sep 5 in Minsk to call a ceasefire, but both sides have accused each other of breaching the accord.

The Russian-backed separatists, who want to achieve independence from Kiev, boycotted nationwide legislative elections held earlier this month in Ukraine and have called their own polls Nov 2 in the territories under their control.

--IANS/EFE

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