Putin tells Ukraine to sit down for talks with Moscow-backed separatists

FILE PHOTO: Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with his Brazilian counterpart Jair Bolsonaro in Moscow, Russia February 16, 2022. Sputnik/Mikhail Klimentyev/Kremlin via REUTERS

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin told Ukraine on Friday to sit down for negotiations with Moscow-backed separatists in Ukraine's east, citing rising tensions in the region and calling for the implementation of the Minsk peace process.

At a news conference in Moscow, Putin also said Russia was ready to follow a negotiation track with NATO on its security demands, but that the U.S.-led military alliance and Washington were not yet in a mood to engage on Moscow's key concerns.