Putin says he hopes Ukraine situation can eventually be resolved peacefully

Russian President Vladimir Putin said he hoped the situation around Ukraine could eventually be resolved peacefully and that he saw no alternative to the existing Minsk peace accords to resolve the conflict in eastern Ukraine.

Speaking at a joint news conference with French President Emmanuel Macron after talks in Moscow, Putin said that Ukraine had to comply with the steps outlined in the Minsk agreements reached in 2014 and 2015.

"As for the Minsk agreements - whether they are alive or have any prospects or not - I believe that there is simply no other alternative (to them)," Putin said.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)