Putin says Russia peacekeepers ‘doing everything’ to protect civilians as Azerbaijan claims full control of Nagorno-Karabakh

Russian peacekeepers are “working actively with all parties” and “doing everything” to protect civilians involved in the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh, Vladimir Putin has said.

His remarks came during a meeting with China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi in St Petersburg on Wednesday.

He said the Russian peacekeeping force was “doing everything” to protect civilians in the region.

“I hope we can achieve de-escalation and solve the issue in a peaceful way,” Putin said.

A cease-fire agreement with Azerbaijan was reached on Wednesday to end two days of fighting in the separatist Nagorno-Karabakh region, local authorities and Azerbaijani officials said.