UKRAINE PRESIDENT TO BE AT WORLD CUP FINAL IN RIO Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko will attend the World Cup final in Rio de Janeiro — along with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Brazilian authorities said Saturday. An official in Brazils government with direct knowledge of the trip and a press officer for Brazils Foreign Ministry both confirmed that Poroshenko would be at the match. The World Cup final pits Argentina against Germany — and it was German Chancellor Angela Merkel who persuaded Poroshenko to attend the game, the government official said. He said Merkel, Putin and Poroshenko, along with Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff and other heads of state, would be circulating in the same VIP area at Maracana stadium. However, no direct meeting between Putin and Poroshenko was known to have been arranged, the official said. The Foreign Ministry press officer said Poroshenko might not arrive in time for a pre-game lunch on Sunday to be hosted by Rousseff for several heads of state, including Putin and Merkel. Citing ministry rules, the press officer would not allow his name to be used. The government official agreed to discuss the event only if he was not identified because he was not authorized to reveal the information.
Posted on: Sun, 13 Jul 2014 00:26:44 +0000
Trending Topics
© 2015