Putin slams Ukraine over ceasefire

Ukraine re-launches attack on rebels after failed truce

Moscow: Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday he and European Union states had tried unsuccessfully to persuade Kiev to extend a ceasefire in east Ukraine, and the Ukrainian president had veered off the road to peace.

President Petro Poroshenko renewed a military campaign against pro-Russian rebels, saying they had not abided by the terms, after two long telephone calls with Putin, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande.

"Unfortunately President Poroshenko took the decision to restart military operations and we – I mean myself and my European colleagues – could not convince him that the road to stable, strong and long-lasting peace does not lie through war," Putin told Russian ambassadors gathered in Moscow.

"Up until now (Poroshenko) was not directly linked to the order to start military operations but now he has taken on this responsibility fully, not only militarily but also politically." Putin presented himself as having been on the same side as Merkel and Hollande over the ceasefire during their four-way telephone conversations with Poroshenko on Sunday and Monday.

Both separatist fighters and pro-Kiev leaders reported a series of new skirmishes breaking out on Tuesday morning across the eastern rustbelt - home to seven million mostly Russian speakers. Putin described the conflict in Ukraine as the culmination of Western efforts to contain Russia and sought to play Moscow's "natural partner" Europe against the United States.

In a keynote speech laying out his foreign policy priorities, Putin lambasted the US drive to sideline Moscow and said Europe has become a victim of "short-sighted, ideology-driven approaches".