MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin, in a telephone call with his French counterpart Francois Hollande on Friday, urged a halt to bloodshed in Ukraine and the start of talks between Kiev and eastern separatists. The telephone call, which the Kremlin said was initiated by the French side, took place before a planned meeting between the two leaders on June 5 in Paris that will be Putin's first with a Western leader since the annexation of Crimea.
Russia is at loggerheads with Western leaders and Kiev over Crimea and allegations that it is fomenting the rebellions among the largely Russian-speaking population in eastern Ukraine following protests that overthrew Moscow-backed President Viktor Yanukovich in February.
