French PM wants Russia to stop bombing Syrian civilians; Russia rubbishes charges

French Prime Minister Manuel Valls called on Russia on Saturday to stop bombing civilians in Syria, saying this was crucial for achieving peace in the country.

"France respects Russia and its interests ... But we know that to find the path to peace again, the Russian bombing of civilians has to stop," Valls said in a speech at a security conference in Munich. Valls also warned that the European project could "disappear" if policymakers were not careful.

"The European project can go backwards or even disappear if we don't take care of it," he said. "If Europe doesn't show it can respond, not only to economic challenges but also to security challenges, then the European project will be finished because the people won't want it anymore."

But Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev rejected accusations  that his country's forces have bombed civilians in Syria, saying this was "just not true".

"There is no evidence of our bombing civilians, even though everyone is accusing us of this," Medvedev told a security conference in Munich, moments after French Prime Minister Manuel Valls said Russian bombing of civilians must stop.

"Russia is not trying to achieve some secret goals in Syria. We are simply trying to protect our national interests," he said, adding that Moscow wanted to prevent militant extremists getting to Russia.