Vladimir Putin spoke in Moscow after meeting with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres.

Russian President Putin says negotiations with Ukraine will continue in an online format and hopes the talks will yield a positive result.

Referring to the current situation in Mariupol, which he describes as “complicated and tragic”, he adds that Russian military operations are no longer taking place in the besieged city.

Putin repeated at length the justification for the occupation of Ukraine, reports the BBC.

He told Antonio Guterres: “We are still waiting and hoping that we will be able to reach an agreement through diplomatic channels.”

Putin said the recent talks in Istanbul had made “progress”, but he suggested they had escalated following reports of atrocities against civilians in the Ukrainian city of Bucha.

He claimed that these were “provocations” and added that “the Russian army had nothing to do with him”.

Russia said the talks would continue and hoped to achieve a positive result.