Russia says it still sees a chance of holding a four-way summit on the Ukraine conflict next week.
"Meetings of experts will be held, and a pretty serious discussion will take place," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on October 13. "If these expert meetings end with a positive result, there will appear such a chance" for the summit in Berlin on October 19.
In Berlin, German Chancellor Angela Merkel's spokesman said further work was needed by advisers before any meeting between the leaders of Ukraine, Russia, Germany, and France was possible.
Meanwhile, French President Francois Hollande called on all parties to commit to a detailed "road map" setting out the steps required for "the reestablishment of Ukraine's control of its border with Russia."
Hollande's office issued the statement after talks by telephone with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko.
On October 12, Hollande spoke by phone with Merkel and Russian President Vladimir Putin about organizing a summit on Ukraine, where fighting between government forces and Russia-backed separatists has killed more than 9,600 people since April 2014.
