Russia's Putin blames Kiev for use of force in east Ukraine

LAURA Russia (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin criticised the pro-Western government in Kiev for using force against the rebellious regions in east Ukraine rather than conducting talks with their Russian-speaking population to seek an end to the turmoil there.

"We don't see a desire from our partners in Kiev... to solve the problem of relations with the south-east of the country through a political process, with talks," Putin told a meeting with political scholars.

"We always see one and the same thing in different manifestations: to suppress by force."

(Reporting by Vladimir Soldatkin and Lidia Kelly, Writing by Gabriela Baczynska, editing by Jason Bush)