KIEV, August 26 (RIA Novosti) – Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko held a telephone conversation with German Chancellor Angela Merkel discussing the recent dissolution of Ukraine’s parliament and an upcoming meeting in Minsk, the website of the Ukrainian president reported Tuesday.
“The sides have discussed the decision of the [Ukrainian] president to dismiss the Verkhovna Rada. The sides agreed that this move was one step to meet the expectations of the Ukrainian society and to reinforce Ukraine’s democratic institutions,” the statement read.
Apart from that, Poroshenko and Merkel also exchanged their views on the upcoming meeting between officials from Russia, Ukraine, the European Union, and the Customs Union, scheduled for August 27 in Minsk. The participants are expected to address a number of political and economic issues, including Ukraine’s integration into the European Union and the stabilization of the situation in eastern Ukraine.
Earlier on Monday, President Poroshenko announced he was dissolving the country’s parliament, with a snap poll slated for October 26. The announcement came a day after the 30-day deadline, set for the Verkhovna Rada to form a new coalition, expired.