France's Hollande says ready to take part in four-way Ukraine talks

PARIS (Reuters) - French President Francois Hollande is ready to take part in talks over the Ukraine crisis with the leaders of Russia, Germany and Ukraine in the coming days, his office said on Thursday. Hollande hopes a roadmap defining steps that would eventually give Ukraine back control over its border with Russia could be outlined soon, his office said in a statement, adding that Hollande had spoken with Ukrainian president Petro Poroschenko earlier in the day. On Wednesday, Germany had played down the prospects of a summit with France and Russia on Ukraine taking place any time soon, after the three countries' leaders discussed the crisis there. (Reporting by Michel Rose; Editing by Andrew Callus)