TOPSHOTS An armed man in military fatigues guards a barricade outside the regional administration building in the eastern Ukrainian city of Slavyansk on April 19, 2014. Russian President Vladimir Putin on April 19 said nothing should impede the normalisation of relations between Russia and the West, after ties hit a post-Cold War low due to the standoff over Ukraine. His remark, which contrasted which weeks of hostile rhetoric from Moscow against the West over Ukraine, came after Russia, the West and Ukraine on April 17 agreed a set of initial steps aimed at de-escalating the conflict. AFP PHOTO / KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV