INTERNATIONAL: Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the situation in Ukraine with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron in a telephone conversation on Tuesday and urged the West to put pressure on Kyiv to halt "atrocities", Russian news agencies said.

Putin told Macron that the West could help end "war crimes (and) massive shelling of towns and settlements in Donbas", leading to civilian casualties.

Russia denies alleged war crimes by its own forces in Ukraine and has blamed the deaths of civilians on what it calls nationalists and "neo-Nazis", a claim dismissed by Kyiv and the West.

"The West could help put an end to these atrocities by exerting appropriate influence on the Kyiv authorities and by halting arms deliveries to Ukraine", RIA news agency cited the Kremlin as saying.

Putin also told his French counterpart that Moscow was still ready for dialogue with Ukraine.