Russia takes small cities, aims to widen east Ukraine battle

By YURAS KARMANAU and ELENA BECATOROS
Associated Press

KRAMATORSK, Ukraine (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin has insisted that European nations halt sanctions on his country and weapons shipments to Ukraine. Putin held a three-way telephone call on Saturday with the leaders of France and Germany. The Kremlin says the Russian leader affirmed Moscow’s openness to resuming talks to end the fighting. But Russia’s recent progress in Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region could embolden Putin to keep pursuing his military goals in the country. Moscow claimed that its forces had captured another small city in the Donbas, the second this week. After failing to occupy Ukraine’s capital, Russia set out to seize the last parts of the eastern region not controlled by Kremlin-backed separatists.