Kremlin, welcoming Biden's willingness to talk, says Putin wants to negotiate

The Kremlin said on Wednesday that Russian President Vladimir Putin was in favour of negotiations and diplomacy over tensions around Ukraine and that Moscow views U.S. President Joe Biden's willingness to talk as a positive sign.

The Kremlin welcomed Biden's direct appeal to Russian citizens, but said it would be even better if he had urged Ukrainian people to stop shooting at each other.

Moscow casts the conflict in east Ukraine as a civil war, but Ukraine and the West say Russia helps the separatists with its own ground forces, something Moscow denies.