Putin calls for talks on 'statehood' in east Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin has called for meaningful talks between the Kiev government and pro-Russian rebels in conflict-torn east Ukraine. Putin said that the two sides should discuss ‘political organisation and statehood’, Russian media report.

“Russia cannot stand aside when people are being shot at almost at point blank,” Putin said, describing the rebels’ actions as “the natural reactions of people who are defending their rights”.

However, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Tass news agency that Putin was not calling for the formation of a separate state in ‘Novorossiya’ (New Russia), the name pro-Russian rebels have given to the widely Russian-speaking region in east Ukraine.

“This is not a conflict between Russia and Ukraine, this is a domestic Ukrainian conflict,” Peskov said. “Only Ukraine can reach an agreement with Novorossiya, taking into account the interests of Novorossiya, and this is the only way to reach political settlement.”

Pro-Russian rebels have recently made gains against Kiev government troops in the eastern Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Luhansk. Kiev and its allies in Europe and the United States say that the rebels were backed by armored columns of more than 1000 Russian troops. Putin has repeatedly denied these claims and accused Kiev of using excessive force against the rebels.

The EU has given Russia a one-week ultimatum to reverse course in Ukraine or face a new round of sanctions. Putin dismissed this ultimatum and accused the EU of “backing a coup d’etat” in Ukraine.

Putin and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko had a meeting in Minsk last week. Putin described Poroshenko as ‘a partner with whom it is possible to have a dialogue’. On Saturday, Poroshenko said that he was keen to reach a political solution to the ongoing crisis but warned that Ukraine was on the brink of full-scale civil war.

Around 2,600 people have died in Ukraine since fighting broke out in April.