[Putin: Need to Convince Ukraine to Believe Russia Agrees to Compromise] Odaily Planet Daily News - Russian President Putin stated on the 4th during a meeting with leaders of major global news agencies in St. Petersburg that Russia agrees to make compromises on the Ukraine issue but needs to convince Ukraine to believe this. Putin expressed that Russia does not oppose Ukraine joining the European Union but opposes the EU becoming a military alliance. The EU can play a positive role in resolving the Ukraine issue, but the approach should be persuading Ukraine to accept a compromise plan rather than providing weapons to Ukraine. Putin said that Russia hopes to sign documents with Ukraine's "legitimate representatives," and the agreement reached between Russia and Ukraine will be a historically significant document. He emphasized that it is very important for Ukraine to hold presidential elections. (Xinhua News Agency)