Ukraine's Zelensky brushes aside Putin 'beauty' remark

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky brushed aside a remark from Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin calling Ukraine his "beauty," amid tensions over Moscow's buildup of troops on the border. 

In a joint news conference with French President Emmanuel Macron in Moscow early Tuesday, Putin criticised Zelensky, who recently said he does not like the 2015 Minsk peace agreements on the country's separatist conflict.

"Like it or not, my beauty, you have to put up with it," Putin said, using an expression that rhymes in Russian.

The remark sparked heated online debate, with many accusing Putin of using the kind of language that can justify rape.

In Kyiv, Zelensky sought to take the high ground.

"Of course, there are things that you can't argue about with the Russian president: Ukraine is indeed a beauty," Zelensky, who is a former comedian, said after talks with Macron.

But, the 44-year-old leader added during a joint news conference, "when he calls Ukraine 'mine' I believe that's already too much."

Zelensky also said that Ukraine was wise to be "very patient" in its dealings with Russia.

"I think that this is important not only for Ukraine, but for the whole of Europe," Zelensky said.

Asked about the remark in a call with reporters, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said no offence was intended.

"The president meant that if a state has taken on obligations... then it needs to fulfil them," Peskov said. 

He also said he was "convinced" that Putin was not familiar with the work of a Russian nineties rock band that had an almost identical line in the lyrics of a song with references to necrophilia. 

"But I think that this band in its time borrowed this expression from Russian folklore," Peskov said. 

Putin is known for making controversial and sometimes coarse remarks, such as saying that if Russia wanted to kill Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny it would have "finished the job" and telling Joe Biden that it "takes one to know one" after the US president agreed with comments that Putin was a "killer".