Vladimir Putin yesterday provoked new fears that he is seeking the partition of Ukraine by calling for talks on “statehood” for the rebellious southeast of the country.

The Russian president’s comments are the latest escalation in rhetoric from the Kremlin and come as Europe prepares to impose tougher sanctions on Moscow. They follow an intensification of fighting in eastern Ukraine that Kiev and western governments say is being fuelled by an inflow of Russian soldiers and equipment.

“We must immediately begin substantive, meaningful negotiations, not on technical questions but on questions of the political structure of society and of the statehood of southeast Ukraine in order to guarantee the legal interests of people who live there,” Mr Putin said in a television interview.