Respect Russia's interests, says Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a phone call with French President Emmanuel Macron  yesterday that the settlement of the situation around Ukraine is possible only if Moscow's interests are taken into account unconditionally, the Kremlin press service reported.

"Vladimir Putin stressed that this settlement is possible only with unconditional respect for the legitimate interests of Russia on the security track, including the recognition of the Russian sovereignty over Crimea, the settlement of the tasks of demilitarization and denazification of the Ukrainian state and ensuring its neutral status," the Kremlin said.

"The Russian side is open to talks with Ukrainian representatives and expects that they will lead to the sought result," it stressed.

The presidents thoroughly exchanged views on all aspects of the developments in Ukraine. "The French side voiced known views concerning Russia's special operation to defend Donbass and expressed hope for the soonest settlement of the ongoing conflict via dialogue with Kiev," the press service said.

"The Russian president drew special attention to the fact that the Russian armed forces do not endanger civilians and carry out no strikes against civilian facilities," said the Kremlin. Meanwhile, officials from Russia and Ukraine ended peace talks on the Belarusian border yesterday and returned to their respective capitals for further consultations before a second round of negotiations. –