NORMANDY FORMAT Political advisors to meet on Tuesday regarding Russia-Ukraine relations

SARAJEVO, (Patria) - Political advisors from Russia, Ukraine, France, and Germany will discuss eastern Ukraine in the "Normandy format" on January 25 in Paris, a source in the administration of Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Saturday.

Mykhailo Podolyak, advisor to chief Ukrainian negotiator Andriy Yermak, confirmed that a meeting in Paris was planned, but told Reuters that the preliminary date was set for January 26.

The planned talks come amid heightened tensions between Russia and the West over Ukraine.

Western countries are concerned about the buildup of Russian troops on the border and have warned of severe economic consequences if Russia attacks its neighbors. Russia denies planning an invasion of Ukraine but demands legally binding security guarantees from the United States and NATO.

The four-way peace talks in the Normandy format aim to help end the long-standing conflict in eastern Ukraine between Ukrainian government forces and pro-Russian separatists.

Relations between Russia and Ukraine collapsed in 2014 after Russia annexed the Crimean peninsula from Ukraine, and Moscow-backed forces seized territory in the Donbas region, which Kyiv wants back.

From the Russian side, chief Russian negotiator Dmitry Kozak will participate in the talks, the source added, Reuters reports.

Kozak said earlier in January that the meeting would be held by the end of this month.