Negotiations for a peace settlement in eastern Ukraine get underway in Paris

Negotiations are underway today in Paris to reach a peace settlement in eastern Ukraine. Present for the talks are Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President François Hollande, and Russian President Vladimir Putin. The negotiations are taking place at the Élysée Palace, the official residence of the French president. 

Before the four-way talks began, leaders held a series of bilateral meetings. Putin met with both Merkel and Hollande. The negotiations are taking place behind closed doors.

The last time these four leaders were together to negotiate a settlement in eastern Ukraine was February 2015 in Minsk, Belarus, where they signed an agreement that has been shakily in effect since then.

Recently, shelling has stopped almost completely in eastern Ukraine, and both Kiev and the separatists have ceased accusing one another of violating the Minsk ceasefire. On September 29, a meeting of the so-called "contact group" concluded an agreement to withdraw heavy caliber weapons from the front lines. This withdrawal was also part of the February Minsk agreement.