French President Francois Hollande welcomes Russian President Vladimir Putin to France a day ahead of ceremonies to mark the 70th anniversary of D-Day.
As world leaders gather on the shores of Normandy on the 6th -- the unity of allies and their bloody sacrifices are the central theme. But in private, leaders' talk focused on the most serious security crisis in Europe for more than two decades: Ukraine.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel met with Putin on the sidelines of D-Day celebrations. The meeting comes as Merkel wrote in a guest article for a French newspaper that the Ukraine crisis was a reminder of how quickly peace and freedom could be destroyed.
Merkel helped orchestrate a meeting with Putin and Ukrainian president-elect Petro Poroshenko.
Hollande's office says the two men agreed to detailed talks on a ceasefire between Kiev and pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine that would begin within days.
They also discussed Russian recognition of Poros
