French president Francois Hollande plans to attend a four-way meeting on the Ukraine crisis in Kazakhstan's capital Astana on Jan 15, according to Reuters.

Ukraine's President said on Dec 29 he had invited the leaders of Russia, France and Germany to Astana talks in an attempt to restore peace to Kiev's eastern territories.

Hollande said he hoped the talks would be productive.

"If it's just to meet and talk without making any actual advances then there's no point," he said in an interview with France Inter radio.