Russia's Putin upbeat on Ukraine crisis solution

Members of the Ukrainian armed forces stay at a building damaged in fighting with pro-Russian separatists in Pesky village, near Donetsk, Ukraine, July 6, 2015. REUTERS/Oleksandr Klymenko

UFA, Russia (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that there were more chances for Ukraine crisis to be successfully resolved rather than for it to fail. He also said efforts to resolve the crisis have been hindered by Kiev's reluctance to directly negotiate with the rebels in east Ukraine. (Reporting by Darya Korsunskaya, Denis Pinchuk, Lidia Kelly and Katya Golubkova; writing by Vladimir Soldatkin; Editing by Jack Stubbs)