Putin says Russia will do its utmost to stop bloodshed in Ukraine

YALTA Crimea (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin on Thursday said Russia would do its utmost to stop the bloodshed in Ukraine, where government forces are fighting a pro-Russian rebellion in the east. "We will do everything in our power so that this conflict is ended as soon as possible, so that the blood can stop flowing in Ukraine," Putin said during a visit to the Crimea region, which Moscow annexed from Ukraine earlier this year. (Reporting by Alexei Anishchuk; Writing by Alissa de Carbonnel, Editing by Dmitry Zhdannikov)