In a phone talk with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Russian President Vladimir Putin drew attention to the provocative actions of Kyiv, which purposefully exacerbates the situation in Donbass, RIA Novosti reports.

Putin and Merkel discussed a number of topical international topics.

When exchanging views on the settlement of the internal Ukrainian crisis, the Russian President and the German Chancellor expressed concern over the escalation of tensions in southeastern Ukraine. Vladimir Putin drew attention to the provocative actions of Kyiv, which has recently been purposefully exacerbating the situation on the contact line, the statement says.