President Putin on Thursday attempted to assuage fears of economic collapse and promised rapid recovery as he faced hundreds of journalists during the worst financial crisis of his rule.

Speaking at his annual press-conference, the Russian leader said that the economic downturn will last two years at the most and he promised to support the poorest segment of the population.

Recent close shaves between Russian fighters and civilian aircraft highlight the dangers of the cat-and-mouse game being played out between Moscow and the West in European skies amid the crisis in Ukraine, analysts say.

In the latest incident, Sweden said Friday that a Russian military jet nearly collided with a passenger plane south of Malmoe shortly after take-off from Copenhagen International Airport.

New internationally mediated peace talks between Ukraine, Russian-backed rebels and Russia itself could start Sunday in Minsk, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said Wednesday.

"We agreed for the contact group to hold a video conference on Thursday and Friday," he said, referring to representatives from Kiev, Moscow, the rebels controlling parts of eastern Ukraine, and the OSCE European security body.

Up to 10,000 Russian soldiers and their heavy weapons are still deployed in rebel-held eastern Ukraine despite a new ceasefire, a top Ukrainian military commander said Tuesday.

U.S. President Barack Obama will sign into law a bill passed by Congress to tighten sanctions against Russia over its actions in Ukraine, the White House said Tuesday, amid a dramatic run on the ruble.

U.S. and European sanctions against Russia could be lifted within days if President Vladimir Putin makes the right choices in Ukraine, top U.S. diplomat John Kerry said Tuesday.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Monday branded new sanctions approved by the U.S. Congress against Russia as hostile.

"This move by the United States is of course hostile," he told Interfax news agency in an interview. "The President (Barack Obama) now has a choice whether or not to sign this law."

The United Nations on Monday released a damning report accusing Ukrainian forces and Russian-backed rebels of torturing and indiscriminately shelling civilians in the bloody conflict in the separatist east.

Its global governing body believes the eight-month conflict has killed at least 4,634 and wounded 10,234 people -- although Monday's survey suggests "the actual numbers of casualties is likely to be considerably higher".

Top U.S. diplomat John Kerry met his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov Sunday, amid anger in Moscow over the prospect of new U.S. sanctions and possible lethal military aid for Ukraine.

The meeting in Rome came after U.S. lawmakers passed a bill -- dubbed the Ukraine Freedom Support Act -- calling for additional sanctions against Russia and the delivery of up to $350 million (280 million euros) worth of U.S. military hardware to Kiev.

Top U.S. diplomat John Kerry was to meet his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov Sunday, amid anger in Moscow over the prospect of new U.S. sanctions and possible lethal military aid for Ukraine.