Merkel, Putin express hope for gas talks success on October 29: Kremlin

MOSCOW (Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Russian President Vladimir Putin stressed the importance of reaching an agreement on gas supplies to Ukraine in a telephone call, the Kremlin said on Friday. "A hope was expressed that the next round of three-party consultations between officials from Russia, Ukraine and the European Union on Oct. 29 in Brussels will be productive," the Kremlin's press service said in a statement. (Reporting by Maria Kiselyova; Editing by Elizabeth Piper)