Putin, Hollande hope Ukraine ceasefire will soon take hold

Russia's President Vladimir Putin (L) bids farewell to French President Francois Hollande as he escorts him to his plane after a meeting at the Vnukovo internatioal airport in Moscow December 6, 2014. REUTERS/Alain Jocard/Pool

MOSCOW (Reuters) - French President Francois Hollande said after an impromptu visit to Russia for crisis talks with Vladimir Putin on Saturday that a ceasefire could take hold in eastern Ukraine in the next few days.

The Russian president, who met Hollande during his stopover at a Moscow airport after a trip to Kazakhstan, said he also hoped agreement would be reached soon to shore up a shaky truce reached for east Ukraine on Sept. 5.