German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande will present "a new proposal for a comprehensive settlement" of the Ukraine conflict when they travel to Kiev and Moscow, Hollande says, according to dpa. "We must find a solution that will be accepted by all sides; therefore, we fly today to Kiev," he says in Paris. Merkel and Hollande will meet Thursday with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko in Kiev and on Friday with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, Merkel's office says. "In view of the escalation of violence in recent days, the chancellor and President Hollande are stepping up their efforts going back months for a peaceful settlement of the conflict in Ukraine's east," Merkel spokesman Steffen Seibert says.
