Leaders Gather to Honor D-Day Normandy Landing
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Version 0 of 1. BÉNOUVILLE, France — President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia held private talks with President Obama and with the newly elected leader of Ukraine on Friday as both sides in the violent conflict in Eastern Europe tried to ease a geopolitical showdown that has shaken the post-Cold War order. Mr. Putin, invited here as part of a commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the D-Day landings, sat down for 15 minutes with Petro O. Poroshenko, who will be inaugurated as Ukraine’s president on Saturday, their first such session since the May 25 elections. Mr. Putin also had an informal conversation with Mr. Obama on the sidelines of the commemoration. French officials told reporters that Mr. Putin and Mr. Poroshenko had agreed to open more formal talks with the hope of negotiating a cease-fire in eastern Ukraine, where pro-Russian separatists have been waging a fierce insurgency that European and American officials say has been fomented by Moscow. Dmitry S. Peskov, Mr. Putin’s spokesman, confirmed the meeting in an interview and said both sides had agreed that they needed a political solution to de-escalate the crisis. He said that the conversation had been cordial and brief and that there were no immediate plans for another meeting. “They agreed on the need to stop the violence,” Mr. Peskov said. “It is a positive step – a very humble one, but it is positive.” A White House official separately confirmed the discussion between Mr. Obama and Mr. Putin but did not immediately give details of the content. “It was an informal conversation, not a formal bilateral meeting,” said Benjamin J. Rhodes, Mr. Obama’s deputy national security adviser. The conversation came after an awkward pas de deux between Mr. Obama and Mr. Putin, who initially seemed to be going out of their way not to acknowledge each other’s presence amid the world leaders gathered here. During the few minutes that they were before international journalists, Mr. Obama and Mr. Putin did not speak to each other, did not shake hands and in fact seemed eager not to encounter each other, much like divorced parents at a child’s graduation. Mr. Obama had refused to meet with Mr. Putin during his four-day trip to Europe, even though his French, German and British counterparts all scheduled individual meetings with the Russian leader here in France. Still, aides had not ruled out the possibility of an informal conversation much like the one that evidently took place out of the public eye on the sidelines of the ceremonial luncheon. The two were first seen together behind the chateau here as leaders from around Europe and elsewhere gathered to take a group photograph. President Franςois Hollande of France stood in the middle with Queen Elizabeth II to his right and Mr. Obama to her right. To Mr. Hollande’s left was Queen Margrethe II of Denmark and to her left was Mr. Putin. Thus separated by three people, Mr. Obama and Mr. Putin busied themselves talking with others. Mr. Obama jovially greeted Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany, kissing her on both cheeks. When the photograph was taken and the group began wandering into the chateau for lunch, Mr. Obama lingered behind, making sure that Queen Elizabeth, who was moving gingerly, got up the stairs and path all right. At one point as the crowd moved slowly toward the building, Mr. Obama was right behind Mr. Putin and could have tapped him on the shoulder if he wanted to but instead focused his attention elsewhere, as if not noticing who was there. Inside the chateau, the leaders had lunch around a horseshoe table, seated in the same order as in the photograph, with Mr. Obama and Mr. Putin separated by the same three people. |