Poroshenko says he speaks to Putin in 'Normandy format'

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has said that he and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin speak to each other during 'Normandy format' phone calls, which can last for up to two hours.

"The president of the Russian Federation and I have spoken over the phone three times since February 15. All three [telephone conversations] were held in the 'Normandy format," which involves President of France Francois Hollande and Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel. These conversations can last for up to two hours," Poroshenko said in an interview with Pershyi Natsionalnyi Channel on Monday night.

These conversations usually address a broad agenda, ranging from the possibility of releasing Ukrainian pilot Nadia Savchenko, held in Moscow over the murder of Russian journalists in eastern Ukraine, to the work of the Special Monitoring Mission of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, he said.

When asked to assess Putin's stance at these talks, Poroshenko said: "It seems to me he is governed by his own understanding of Russia's interests. I do not accept this understanding."