Immediate ceasefire needed in Ukraine, Finnish president tells Putin

Finland's President Sauli Niinisto and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin discussed the need for ceasefire and humanitarian corridors to evacuate civilians in Ukraine in a phone call on Friday, the Finnish president's office said in a statement.

In the call, which lasted for one hour, Niinisto told Putin the worsening crisis in Ukraine was strongly impacting Western opinion. "President Niinisto emphasized the need to establish an immediate ceasefire and ensure the safe evacuation of civilians along humanitarian corridors," the statement read.

Niinisto earlier in the day also spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to discuss Russia's invasion, and the Finnish president later tweeted that he was "doing my best for peace".