<p>President Emmanuel Macron said today France refuses to recognise Russia's "annexation" of the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea.<br /><br />Speaking after talks with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko in Paris, Macron said: "France is committed to Ukraine's sovereignty with its recognised borders."<br /><br />Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday visited Crimea, which Moscow annexed in 2014, in a trip that Kiev condemned as a violation of its sovereignty.<br /><br />Western powers accuse Russia of failing to honour its commitments under the Minsk accords framework for ending the violence between government forces and Kremlin-backed rebels in Ukraine's east.<br /><br />EU leaders agreed last week to extend stringent economic sanctions against Russia for another six months, saying Moscow had failed to meet its commitments on the ceasefire in Ukraine.<br /><br />The French foreign ministry said OSCE observers in Ukraine were being subjected to "unacceptable intimidation and obstacles".<br /><br />When Macron met Putin in May, shortly after the new French leader took office, he admitted the two had "disagreed on a number of things". (AFP)</p>
<p>President Emmanuel Macron said today France refuses to recognise Russia's "annexation" of the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea.<br /><br />Speaking after talks with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko in Paris, Macron said: "France is committed to Ukraine's sovereignty with its recognised borders."<br /><br />Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday visited Crimea, which Moscow annexed in 2014, in a trip that Kiev condemned as a violation of its sovereignty.<br /><br />Western powers accuse Russia of failing to honour its commitments under the Minsk accords framework for ending the violence between government forces and Kremlin-backed rebels in Ukraine's east.<br /><br />EU leaders agreed last week to extend stringent economic sanctions against Russia for another six months, saying Moscow had failed to meet its commitments on the ceasefire in Ukraine.<br /><br />The French foreign ministry said OSCE observers in Ukraine were being subjected to "unacceptable intimidation and obstacles".<br /><br />When Macron met Putin in May, shortly after the new French leader took office, he admitted the two had "disagreed on a number of things". (AFP)</p>