Putin’s news conference coincided with heightened tensions over what Ukrainian officials say is a deployment of more than 120,000 servicemen on its borders more than seven years after Russia annexed the Crimea peninsula and Kremlin proxies seized large chunks of territory in eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region.

The disputed communication links lie at the heart of the talks --- the talks have focused on a rail and road link between Azerbaijan and its exclave of Nakhchivan.

The leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia appeared to make progress on issues preventing the conclusion of a peace deal - particularly the opening of communications links.