Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin has defended the pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine, calling for direct talks between them and the Kyiv government to help restore peace. … Mr Putin was speaking at his annual wide-ranging, marathon press conference, broadcast live on all major TV channels.

Ukraine and Russia-backed separatists failed Wednesday to agree on a prisoner exchange and troop pullback after several hours of tense talks on the conflict in eastern Ukraine. Representatives of Ukraine, Russia and the separatist rebels met in the Belarusian capital, Minsk, to discuss conditions for an ``all for all'' prisoner swap. This followed the reaching of a tentative agreement during Ukraine peace talks in Paris last week.

Pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine on Tuesday signaled their willingness to participate in a ceasefire agreed in France the previous day. Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, signed a deal, mediated by France and Germany, to withdraw forces from the conflict zone by the end of March 2020.

After Ukraine’s new President Volodymyr Zelenskyi agreed to hold elections in the separatist regions on the Russian border, peace talks with Moscow are regaining momentum. With the assistance of France and Germany, the two countries will return to the negotiation table on 9 December.

Zelenskiy said the most important discussion point was conducting local and regional elections in territories that Kyiv doesn't currently control. … The return of all Ukrainian captives is another priority as well as regaining control over its border with Russia.

Russia will return three captured naval ships to Ukraine on Monday and is moving them to a handover location agreed with Kyiv. … In the meantime, a Kremlin aide said a summit between France, Germany, Russia and Ukraine to try to resolve the conflict in eastern Ukraine is possible this year but no date has been agreed.

Kyiv and Russia-backed separatists say they have completed a pullback of troops and weapons from a third frontline area in eastern Ukraine. The move is one of a series of confidence-building measures that could pave the way for a four-way summit aimed at ending the conflict in Luhansk and Donetsk regions that has killed more than 13,000 people since April 2014.

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has agreed to hear claims by Ukraine related to the conflict in the east of the country, where Government forces have been fighting mostly pro-Russian separatists, for more than five years. In an application to the Court filed in January, Ukraine alleged that Russia had violated its obligations under two international treaties on terrorism financing and racial discrimination.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has welcomed the withdrawal of Ukrainian and Russia-backed separatist forces from a frontline area in eastern Ukraine, but reiterated calls for Moscow to "withdraw all their troops."

Kyiv government forces and pro-Russian troops have started withdrawing from the eastern Ukrainian town of Zolote. The move is a key precondition for German- and French-mediated talks between Ukraine and Russia.