Putin says Russia wants buffer zone in Kharkiv but has no plans to capture city

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that Moscow’s offensive in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region aims to create a buffer zone but he has no plans to capture the city. Speaking to reporters on Friday on a visit to Harbin, China, Mr Putin said that Moscow launched attacks in the Kharkiv region in response to the Ukrainian shelling of Russia’s Belgorod region.