The vast majority of Dodo’s 700+ units continue to operate through the franchising model, and since 2012 the number of units have been growing almost exponentially.

Putin’s news conference coincided with heightened tensions over what Ukrainian officials say is a deployment of more than 120,000 servicemen on its borders more than seven years after Russia annexed the Crimea peninsula and Kremlin proxies seized large chunks of territory in eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region.

The disputed communication links lie at the heart of the talks --- the talks have focused on a rail and road link between Azerbaijan and its exclave of Nakhchivan.