‘Difficult, full of disagreements’: No breakthrough in Milan talks on Ukraine crisis
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said a breakthrough was not reached in Friday morning’s talks on Ukraine, Reuters reports. ● "I cannot see a breakthrough here at all so far," Merkel said after top EU leaders met with Putin and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko on the sidelines of an EU-Asia summit. "We will continue to talk. There was progress on some details, but the main issue is continued violations of the territorial integrity of Ukraine," she added. A political solution to the conflict in Ukraine has not yet been found, President of the European Council Herman Van Rompuy commented after the meeting, according to RIA Novosti. Rompuy said the participants have all agreed on the need to follow through on the peace agreement reached in Minsk, Belarus at the beginning of September. “What we agreed was the protocol of Minsk on the ceasefire, and the peace plan is of crucial importance,” Rompuy said.