Moscow, May 29 (IANS): Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Moscow was determined to develop friendly ties with all countries, "both in the West and the East".

"We will be developing friendly relations with all of our partners, both in the West and the East, and take part in working out collective solutions to global and regional problems," Putin said on Thursday.

He added that Russia would continue to safeguard international stability and security. Xinhua reported.

Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov doubted Ukraine's leadership on the implementation of a peace accord reached in the Belarussian capital of Minsk in February.

He stressed that Russia, along with Germany and France would facilitate the peace process in Donbass, that he said should be based on Kiev's direct dialogue with the self-proclaimed republics of Donetsk and Lugansk.

The crisis in Ukraine has caused a dive in the relationship between Russia and the West, with sanctions slapped on Moscow for its annexation of Crimea and its alleged military involvement in the conflict in eastern Ukraine.