Hollande, Putin meet to talk Ukraine crisis

French president Francois Hollande met his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Saturday, making a surprise topover in a Moscow airport in an attempt to defuse mounting tensions over Ukraine. Hollande is the first western leader to visit Russia since the beginning of the crisis, which caused the European Union and the United States to impose punishing sanctions on Moscow for supporting pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine. “There are times when we need to seize opportunities. This is such a time,” Hollande told Putin before the two continued to talk behind closed doors.