ASTANA, Oct 14 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday there was no need for massive new strikes on Ukraine and that Russia was not looking to destroy the country.
Putin told a news conference at the end of a summit in Kazakhstan that his call-up of Russian reservists would be over within two weeks and there were no plans for further mobilization.
He also repeated the Kremlin position that Russia was willing to hold talks, although he said they would require international mediation if Ukraine was prepared to take part.
Taken together, Putin's comments appeared to suggest a slight softening of his tone as the war nears the end of its eighth month, after weeks of Ukrainian advances and significant Russian defeats. Wall Street shares opened higher as traders interpreted them as easing geopolitical tensions.
But Putin - who has said he would be ready to use nuclear weapons to defend Russia's "territorial integrity" - also warned of a "global catastrophe" in the event of a direct clash of NATO troops with Russia.
He was speaking after a week when Russia has staged its heaviest missile attacks on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities since the start of its invasion of Feb. 24 - an action that Putin has said was retaliation for an attack that damaged a Russian bridge to unilaterally annexed Crimea.
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"We do not set ourselves the task of destroying Ukraine. No, of course not," Putin said.
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