Putin urges Ukraine troops to give up Debaltseve

Russian President Vladimir Putin has urged the Ukrainian government to allow its troops to surrender to rebels in the strategic town of Debaltseve.

Mr Putin also said he hoped the rebels would let any captured troops return to their families.
Fierce fighting raged throughout Tuesday in the town despite a ceasefire deal signed last week, with rebels saying they now controlled most areas.
The UN Security Council called for an immediate end to hostilities.
On Tuesday evening a resolution drafted by Russia calling on all sides to respect the deal, signed in the Belarusian capital Minsk last week, was adopted unanimously by the council.
International observers monitoring the truce have been unable to enter Debaltseve.
The town has become a key prize for rebels and government forces, as it sits on a strategic railway line linking rebel-held Donetsk and Luhansk.
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko described rebel attempts to take the town as a "cynical attack" on the ceasefire.
"Today the world must stop the aggressor," Mr Poroshenko said in a statement posted on his website following a phone conversation with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
"I call on the permanent members of the UN Security Council to prevent further violation of fundamental principles and rules of the UN and the unleashing of a full-scale war in the very centre of Europe," he said.
'Understandable' fighting 

President Putin: "There is a considerable decrease in the intensity of fighting"

Speaking on a visit to Hungary, President Putin said he hoped the ceasefire agreements would be observed by both sides.
Mr Putin said there had been a "significant reduction" in the intensity of combat since the truce came into effect over the weekend.
He said the conflict could not be solved by military means.
"I hope that the Ukrainian authorities are not going to prevent the Ukrainian soldiers from laying down their weapons," he said.
"If they aren't capable of taking that decision themselves and giving that order, then [I hope] that they won't prosecute people who want to save their lives and the lives of others."
Mr Putin added that the fighting in Debaltseve was "understandable and predictable".
He said he had warned participants in the Minsk talks that - ceasefire or no ceasefire - encircled government troops would try to break free and the rebels would try to prevent this.

Source by BBC News