Moscow, Dec 6 (AFP/APP): The leaders of Russia and Ukraine will meet on Monday for talks on the conflict in east Ukraine, in what could be a step forward in ending Europe’s only active war. The summit in Paris will mark the first time Russia’s Vladimir Putin meets face-to-face with Ukraine’s new comedian-turned-president, Volodymyr Zelensky. Few are expecting an immediate breakthrough, but Zelensky’s election this year and a recent easing of tensions have raised hopes of resolving the five-year conflict. French President Emmanuel Macron, who will mediate along with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, pushed hard for the talks and they will be a test of his efforts to reset Europe’s ties with Moscow. Speaking to reporters in Kiev this week, Zelensky played down expectations but said it was “very important” the summit was taking place at all. “Honestly, I don’t know whether we will succeed or not, but the first victory is that we are meeting,” he said. Since it broke out in 2014, the conflict between Kiev and Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine has killed more than 13,000 people, forced more than a million from their homes and battered the country’s economy. It has also deeply strained ties between … Continue reading Putin and Zelensky in first talks to revive Ukraine peace efforts