Ukraine Conflict: Vladimir Putin Renews Blame on West

Ukraine's crisis has been caused by the West, Russian President Vladimir Putin says, as he works on Franco-German proposals to end fighting between the government and pro-Russia rebels. Western countries had broken pledges not to expand Nato and forced countries to choose between them and Russia, Mr Putin told an Egyptian newspaper.

The comments come amid new hopes of a peace deal this Wednesday.

Russia denies accusations of sending troops and supplying the rebels.

The fighting in eastern Ukraine has claimed more than 5,300 lives and driven 1.5 million people from their homes.

At least nine Ukrainian soldiers have been killed in the past 24 hours, officials say.

Fighting is said to be intense around the town of Debaltseve, near the rebel-held city of Donetsk.

• 5,358 people killed and 12,235 wounded in eastern Ukraine
• Fatalities include 298 people on board flight MH17 shot down on 17 July
• 224 civilians killed in three-week period leading up to 1 February
• 5.2 million people estimated to be living in conflict areas
• 921,640 internally displaced people within Ukraine, including 136,216 children
• 600,000 fled to neighbouring countries of whom more than 400,000 have gone to Russia

At the start of a visit to Egypt, President Putin renewed his attack on Western countries for their "hollow" promises not to expand Nato to include former Soviet countries, and therefore ignoring Russian interests.

There had been attempts, Mr Putin told Egypt's al-Ahram newspaper, "to tear states which had been parts of the former USSR [Soviet Union] off Russia and to prompt them to make an artificial choice 'between Russia and Europe'.

"We repeatedly warned the US and its Western allies about harmful consequences of their interference in Ukrainian domestic affairs but they did not listen to our opinion," the Russian leader said.

He went on to accuse them of supporting a "coup d'etat in Kiev" - a reference to the ousting of former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych last year.

He lost power amid protests over his decision to scrap a deal that would have seen Ukraine establish closer ties with the European Union.

Since then, Russia has annexed Ukraine's Crimea Peninsula and rebels in the east have sought to establish full control over the regions of Donetsk and Luhansk. (BBC)