Updated 2:51 p.m. Moscow Time
MOSCOW, October 14 (RIA Novosti) - Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet with Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi in Milan this week to discuss bilateral ties and situation in Ukraine and the Middle East, the Kremlin said Tuesday.
The leaders confirmed "an agreement to hold a Russian-Italian meeting to address in detail the perspectives for the development of bilateral relations and most important issues on the international agenda, including the situation in Ukraine and the Middle East," the Kremlin said in a statement.
In a phone conversation earlier in the day, Putin and Renzi agreed to meet on the sidelines of the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) due on October 16-17 in Italy's Milan.
Earlier, Kremlin said that during the 10th ASEM forum in Milan Putin might also meet with the leaders of Ukraine, Germany and France to discuss the crisis in eastern Ukraine. President Putin and German Chancellor Angela Merkel have already discussed the preparations for the upcoming talks in a phone call.
Established in 1996, the ASEM is an informal platform for dialogue and cooperation between Europe and Asia. The 10th ASEM summit will be chaired by the President of the European Council Herman van Rompuy in association with the President of the European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso.
