Putin stresses need for immediate end to punitive army operation in south-east Ukraine

MOSCOW, May 27 /ITAR-TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin said during a telephone talk with Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi on Tuesday that a punitive army operation in southeast Ukraine should be immediately stopped. During the telephone talk, the Russian leader and the Italian premier “exchanged their opinions on the Ukraine situation in the context of the presidential elections held on May 25,” the Kremlin press office said. “The sides expressed mutual condolences over the tragic death of Italian journalist [Andrea] Rocchelli and his accompanying person, Russian national [Andrei] Mironov,” the Kremlin press office said. “Vladimir Putin stressed the need for an immediate end to the punitive army operation in the southeastern regions and the establishment of Kiev’s peaceful dialog with representatives of the regions,” the Kremlin press office said. Putin and Renzi also “highly praised the current level and prospects of Russian-Italian interaction.” “The sides discussed specific issues of cooperation in various spheres, primarily, in energy,” the Kremlin press office said. Italian photo reporter Andrea Rocchelli and his Russian interpreter Andrei Mironov were killed in a mortar fire in the south of the east Ukrainian town of Sloviansk surrounded by the Ukrainian military while French photographer William Roguelon was wounded in the leg. Rocchelli, 30, was specializing in “trouble spots” across the world. He made photo reports from Afghanistan, Libya and Algeria. Learn more on itar-tass.com