Considerable pressure from EU member states led six months ago to France halting the EUR 1.2 billion contract with Russia for the supply of two Mistral warships, Ukraine Today reports.

According to Hollande, no lethal weapons are to be sent from France to Ukraine, as there have been no requests from the Ukrainian government. The French president also said he believes that a peacekeeping mission in eastern Ukraine is not necessary to resolve the conflict, as the OSCE has already been helping to ensure the fulfillment of the Minsk peace agreement.

The talks between the two presidents resulted in an agreement that France is to ratify the Association Agreement between the EU and Ukraine within a month.

See unian.info’s video section for more of the latest news from Ukraine in video from Ukraine Today, Ukraine’s 24-hour English-language news channel.