President of Germany Angela Merkel and President of France Francois Hollande abruptly announced a summit with the Russian president in Moscow on Friday in response to overtures from the Kremlin, raising hopes of a breakthrough in the year-old Ukraine conflict.

Merkel and Hollande met Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko in Kiev on Thursday evening but left without making any comments. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin said that the leaders had discussed “steps so that the Minsk agreement can start working”. A ceasefire signed in Minsk in September froze the frontlines at their positions at the time, but never held.