国际英语新闻:Hollande's visit to help settle int'l problems: Putin

MOSCOW, Dec. 6 (Xinhua) -- French President Francois Hollande's brief visit to Russia will help settle many international problems, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Saturday.

"Current problems are complicated, but ... I am sure that your visit today, even if so short a working visit, will no doubt favor the settlement of many problems," Putin said.

Putin said that the visit will contribute to the peaceful settlement of the Ukraine crisis within the framework of the Normandy dialogue, which was held in France in June.

For his part, Hollande expressed confidence that Russia and France could overcome "obstacles" in bilateral relations.

"I think that at some point we need to get rid of these obstacles and walls that separate us, and I think we can do it," RIA Novosti news agency quoted Hollande as saying.

The meeting between the two leaders took place at the governmental airport Vnukovo-2 in Moscow as Hollande made a stopover on his way back to Paris after his trip to Kazakhstan.

Putin told reporters after the talks that the two-hour meeting was very constructive and substantive.

The Minsk peace agreements between the Ukrainian government and pro-independent insurgents should be fully implemented, although up till now both the conflicting sides had not completely observed the accords, Putin said.

He said Russia hopes a final ceasefire in eastern Ukraine would be agreed on soon, calling on Kiev authorities to promptly withdraw military hardware from the demarcation line.

Meanwhile, Putin also expressed his hope that Kiev authorities would revive the economic ties with two eastern regions of Donetsk and Lugansk rather than blockade them, since "Ukraine's energy system largely depends on eastern coal."

Although the Russian president said the delayed Mistral delivery was not among the topics discussed, he expected the contract to be implemented by French side.

Hollande last month suspended the delivery of the first of two Mistral helicopter carriers ordered by Russia due to the conflict in Ukraine.

"If not, we will have no major complaints ... For now we understand everything and will understand every development of the issue," Putin said.

The French president earlier on Saturday held talks with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko over telephone.

The two sides agreed to make joint efforts to peacefully settle the Ukraine crisis and ensure the implementation of the Minsk agreements, including the immediate resolution of humanitarian problems in Donetsk and Lugansk regions, according to the Ukrainian presidential press service.

Poroshenko on Thursday ordered the military forces to hold the so-called "day of silence" in eastern regions starting from Tuesday, which was prescribed in the Minsk peace protocol as temporary suspension of hostilities between the Ukrainian forces and the pro-independence insurgents.