As Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko celebrates troops on Armed Forces Day...
...he reveals that fresh ceasefire talks with Russia-backed separatists in the country's east have been preliminarily set for December 9th in Minsk.
A ceasefire deal was reached three months ago, but clashes have persisted.
Over in Moscow -- after a meeting with French President Francois Hollande -- Russian President Vladimir Putin says he hopes a Ukraine ceasefire will soon take hold.
(SOUNDBITE) (Russian) RUSSIAN PRESIDENT, VLADIMIR PUTIN, SAYING:
"I really hope that in the near future a final decision will be made regarding the ceasefire."
NATO and Western powers accuse Moscow of sending troops and weapons to back Ukraine's separatist rebels -- a charge Moscow denies.
Since April, more than 4,300 people have been killed in the conflict in eastern Ukraine.
