Putin: Kyiv To Blame For Ukraine Crisis

Russian President Vladimir Putin took a typically defiant position on the Ukraine crisis at his annual news conference on December 18, blaming the Ukrainian government for the start of hostilities. He said he and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko were working for peace, but that others in Ukraine were talking of "fighting to the end." The Ukrainian and Western governments say Russia has supported separatists with guns, troops and tanks - which Russia denies. (Reuters)