MOSCOW, 19 February 2022, (TON): Russian President Vladimir Putin told Ukraine on Friday to sit down for negotiations with Moscow-backed separatists in Ukraine's east, citing rising tensions in the region and calling for the implementation of the Minsk peace process.

At a news conference in Moscow, Putin also said Russia was ready to follow a negotiation track with NATO on its security demands, but that the US-led military alliance and Washington were not yet in a mood to engage on Moscow's key concerns.

The remarks came as Moscow is facing off against the West over European and Ukrainian security, tensions worsened by large Russian drills in Belarus.

Meanwhile, Russian President also welcomed his close ally Belarusian strongman Alexander Lukashenko to the Kremlin on Friday, announcing the leaders would discuss military cooperation and oversee upcoming war games.

Putin told Lukashenko ahead of talks "we will of course talk about the situation in the region, assess how military cooperation is going, including the ongoing military drills.”