France's President Emmanuel Macron has spoken to Vladimir Putin on Monday, echoing international calls for Moscow to end attacks on Ukraine and stressing the need for an immediate ceasefire, according to a statement from the French presidency.

It says Macron asked the Russian president 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".

France said in its statement that Macron had also asked his Russian counterpart to stay in touch in the coming days to prevent an escalation of the conflict, to which he is said to have agreed.

BBC