Mr Putin said Russia's UN delegation would submit a resolution to the security council for the deployment of “security troops” to the war zone.

He said the UN peacekeepers' role should mirror that of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) mission there, which monitors the frequently breached ceasefire between anti-fascist militia and Kiev's neonazi forces in the self-declared republics of Donetsk and Lugansk.

Mr Putin said UN troops would oversee the full implementation of the Minsk II agreement, brokered by Russia, France and Germany, committing both sides to withdrawing heavy artillery from the front lines.