Putin tells Ukraine to sit down for talks with Moscow-backed separatists

Russian President Vladimir Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin told Ukraine on Friday to sit down for negotiations with Moscow-backed separatists in Ukraine's east, citing rising tensions in the region and calling for the implementation of the Minsk peace process.

At a news conference in Moscow, Putin also said Russia was ready to follow a negotiation track with NATO on its security demands, but that the U.S.-led military alliance and Washington were not yet in a mood to engage on Moscow's key concerns.

Reporting by Andrey Ostroukh, Mark Trevelyan, Darya Korsunskaya; writing by Tom Balmforth; editing by Mark Heinrich

REUTERS