Michel Platini calls on Vladimir Putin to end 'shooting and bombing' in Ukraine

Speaking to AP, former UEFA president Michel Platini said: "I wanted to tell all my Ukrainian friends, all these great women and men that I have met in my career as a footballer and manager, how much I am at their side with my heart and my thoughts in these hours of suffering and horror.

"I admire their courage and their unity. They are an example for the rest of the world, and for each of us, of the universal fight for freedom.

"I call on the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, with whom I have often discussed football and sport, to immediately stop the shooting and bombing of Ukraine, to put an end to this aggression in order to initiate a real diplomatic dialogue without delay in favour of peace. No war is fair. Human life is priceless."

Platini had a personal relationship with Putin, supporting Russia's bid to host the 2018 World Cup despite the country's poor human right records.

A second round of talks between Russia and Ukraine is scheduled to take place on Thursday but there have been no signs of a ceasefire.

Source: AP