Putin believes there will be no military action in east Ukraine

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday he believed that there would be no military action in eastern Ukraine, but the West should use its influence on the authorities in Kiev to fully implement the Minsk peace deal.

Commenting on Ukraine's parliamentary approval of Volodymyr Groysman as Ukrainian prime minister earlier on Thursday, Putin told his annual televised phone-in that he hoped the new Ukraine's government would be "pragmatic".