Russia mulls offering fast-tracked passports to all Ukrainians, Vladimir Putin says

Putin made the statement days after signing an order to simplify the procedure for obtaining a Russian passport for residents of separatist-controlled eastern Ukraine, prompting calls from Kiev for more international sanctions.

Five years of war between Ukrainian troops and Russian-backed forces have killed 13,000 people despite a notional ceasefire signed in 2015.

Putin’s earlier move was seen as a test for the Ukrainian president-elect, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who won a landslide victory in Sunday’s presidential election and has pledged to find a peaceful solution to the conflict.

Speaking in Beijing, Putin said Moscow was now considering extending its fast track passport scheme to the whole of Ukraine.

“We are considering whether to grant Ukrainian citizens our citizenship using a simplified procedure,” Putin told reporters, without providing further details.