Putin accuses Ukraine of provocations in phone call with Merkel: Kremlin

[April 08, 2021]    MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin accused Ukraine of provocative action in eastern Ukraine that was inflaming the situation there during a phone call with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the Kremlin said on Thursday.

Russia's President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with Governor of Novgorod Region Andrei Nikitin at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia March 24, 2021. Sputnik/Alexei Druzhinin/Kremlin via REUTERS

In a readout of the call, the Kremlin said that both sides had voiced concerns about the situation in eastern Ukraine. They also discussed the case of jailed Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny and Libya, the Kremlin said.

(Reporting by Andrey Ostroukh; writing by Tom Balmforth; editing by Alex Richardson)

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