Ukraine crisis: President Putin says Russia does not want war, calls Donbass 'genocide'

Russia on Tuesday said that some of its troops were returning to base after exercises near Ukraine and mocked Western warnings about a looming invasion, but NATO said it had yet to see any evidence of a de-escalation that could avert a military conflict.

Moscow: President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that Russia does not want a war in Europe, but described the situation in east Ukraine`s breakaway regions as "genocide" and called for the conflict there to be resolved through the Minsk peace progress.

At a joint news conference after talks with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Putin said Russia had decided to partially withdraw troops from near Ukraine and saw some room for further discussion with the West on Moscow`s security demands. 

Putin, however, said that there had not been a constructive response to Russia`s demands.