Here's another one of those really awkward pix from Milan with Putin and Poroshenko:
Почалася друга зустріч щодо #України з Порошенком і путіним Зустріч відбувається в "нормандському форматі" #Україна pic.twitter.com/NCJam048bF
— Новости Украины (@Dbnmjr) October 17, 2014
Meanwhile, from "The Guardian":
Protesters are calling on Downing Street to bar two high-profile Russian pop stars who are vocal supporters of Vladimir Putin from entering Britain for a gala performance next week at the Royal Albert Hall.
Crooner Iosif (Joseph) Kobzon and Alla Perfilova – known by her stage name, Valeriya – are due to perform on 21 October at a heavily advertised one-off concert in London.
Critics, who have launched an online petition, accuse the singers of being Kremlin cheerleaders and say the visit, if it goes ahead, will show western sanctions against Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine are ineffective.
Then there's this:
Latest on the Milan summit from our news desk:
Italy's prime minister said he was "really positive" about the prospects for a solution to the Ukraine conflict after talks attended by Russian President Vladimir Putin, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, and European leaders in Milan, but there was no immediate sign of a breakthrough.
"In general, I am really positive after this meeting," Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi said after the talks over breakfast on the sidelines of a Europe-Asia summit.
Putin said the meeting was "good, positive".
British Prime Minister David Cameron said Putin assured the other leaders that Russia does not want a divided Ukraine or a frozen crisis.
The meeting came hours after the Kremlin said talks between Putin and German Chancellor Angela Merkel had left "serious differences of opinion" over the crisis in Ukraine, where fighting between government troops and pro-Russian rebels has killed more than 3,660 people since April.
It's a breakfast meeting but there doesn't seem to be any breakfast.
Here's a pic of them.
