Vladimir Putin 'considering ending Ukraine bombing campaign that's killed civilians'

dailystar.co.uk:

Vladimir Putin has promised to consider ending his brutal bombing campaign on Ukrainian civilians and the areas they live in as peace talks between the two countries continue in Belarus.This comes after the Russian President spoke in length with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron on Monday, February 28.According to a statement from the French government, Macron asked Putin to halt all strikes and attacks against civilians and places of residences, preserve civil infrastructure and secure main roads.Putin confirmed his willingness to commit to those requests, the French statement said.However a Kremlin statement about the same telephone call says that Putin told Macron: "A settlement is possible only if Russia's legitimate security interests are taken into account – including a recognition of Russia's sovereignty over Crimea and a resolution of the objectives of demilitarisation and denazification of the Ukrainian state and ensuring it has a neutral status".Ahead of the talks, Ukraine said it wanted a ceasefire and Russian withdrawal, while the Kremlin said it would not announce its position.Russia's negotiators have talked of striking a deal that's in the interests of both sides.This news comes as dozens of people were killed by Russian rocket attacks in Kharkiv earlier on Monday.The Ukrainian interior ministry adviser Anton Herashchenko said Kharkiv had been “massively fired on”, leaving “dozens of dead and hundreds of wounded”.To stay up to date with all the latest news, make sure you sign up to one of our newsletters here.With fighting continuing around several cities and the Russian rouble falling drastically, the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy urged Russian troops to abandon their weapons and leave the.