Moscow continues work to coordinate Putin-Macron-Merkel talks

Moscow, March 30 Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Moscow continues work to coordinate a joint video conference of Russian President Vladimir Putin, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron.

"We continue coordination with Berlin and Paris," TASS News Agency quoted Peskov as saying to reporters on Monday after German government spokesman Steffen Seibert had earlier said that there had been no video conference between Putin, Macron and Merkel on March 29.

"When there are specific results, we will inform you," he added.

Peskov stressed that the video conference was not being prepared as a Normandy Four Russia, Ukraine, France, Germany summit.

When asked why the participants did not include Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky, the spokesman said: "Because the issue at hand is not a Normandy Four event. There are many others issues for discussion. This is not the Normandy Four."

The Kremlin spokesman agreed that it was impossible to hold such a summit without discussing the escalating situation in east Ukraine's Donbass region.

On March 26, Kiev reported that four Ukrainian servicemen were killed during a shelling of the town of Shumy in eastern Ukraine.

At the same time, the people's militia of the Donetsk People Republic (DPR) rejected those reports.

( With inputs from IANS )