President Vladimir Putin's spokesman on Wednesday ridiculed U.S. media reports that the Russian strongman may be suffering from cancer, saying he was fine and that journalists should "shut their trap".

Dmitry Peskov blasted those behind speculation that the 62-year-old Putin -- who has long cultivated an action-man image -- was in ill health.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel urged Russian President Vladimir Putin in a telephone call Friday to throw his weight behind a quick resolution of an ongoing gas dispute with Ukraine as winter looms.

In the latest talks between the two leaders on the crisis in Ukraine, Merkel also underlined that upcoming elections in areas of eastern Ukraine controlled by Russian-backed separatists must respect national law.

Russian President Vladimir Putin was cooperative and constructive when asked for his help in allowing investigators access to the MH17 crash site in Ukraine, Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said Saturday.

Bishop met the Russian leader on the sidelines of the Asia-Europe Meeting, just days after Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott warned he would confront Putin over the shooting down of the plane at a G20 meet next month.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday he had had "good" talks about the Ukraine crisis with his Ukrainian counterpart Petro Poroshenko and EU leaders in Milan.

Asked by journalists how the talks had gone, Putin said simply they were "good", the state news agency TASS reported.

President Vladimir Putin accused his US counterpart Barack Obama of a hostile approach towards Russia, warning in a Cold War-style tirade that Moscow would not be blackmailed by the West over Ukraine.

Putin fired off his combative comments shortly before he arrived amid tight security to a red carpet welcome in Belgrade, seeking to cement Russia's influence in its loyal European ally.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Wednesday there were plans for her to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin this week and that she hoped for "an open exchange of opinions" on the Ukraine crisis.

Both leaders will attend a two-day Asia-Europe meeting of leaders in Milan, Italy, starting Thursday and "there are plans for talks with the Russian president," Merkel said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday praised growing economic ties with "natural ally" Beijing as he hosted Chinese Premier Li Keqiang for high-profile talks.

Li's three-day visit to Russia comes as the Kremlin is locked in a battle of wills with the West over Ukraine and is seeking to ramp up cooperation with Asia and Latin America.

The European Union told Belgrade on Tuesday it should prove its credentials as a future member during an upcoming visit by Russian President Vladimir Putin to Serbia, a historic Moscow ally.

The EU has declared Putin persona non grata for his role in the Ukraine crisis but he can still count on a warm welcome Thursday in Belgrade, which has refused to emulate the tough sanctions imposed on Russia by Brussels.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott on Monday vowed to "shirtfront", or confront, Russian President Vladimir Putin at the G20 summit next month over the loss of Australian lives in the MH17 crash over Ukraine.

Australia is hosting the summit in Brisbane and there had been question marks over whether Putin would take part.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered his defense minister to pull thousands of troops from the border with Ukraine, ahead of key talks on a fragile truce in the ex-Soviet country.

The announcement by the Kremlin late Saturday comes as the Russian strongman is gearing up to hold the talks with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and European leaders in Milan on Friday, signaling the possibility of shoring up the rickety truce.