Putin and Merkel discuss Donbas and Navalny
On Thursday, April 8, Russian President Vladimir Putin had a phone conversation with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, reports the Kremlin press service.
During the call, both Putin and Merkel expressed concern about growing tensions in Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region.
According to the Kremlin’s release, Putin drew attention to “Kyiv’s provocative actions,” claiming that the Ukrainian side “has been purposefully exacerbating the situation on the line of contact.”
“[Putin] emphasized the need for the Kyiv authorities to strictly implement the previously reached agreements, primarily on establishing a direct dialogue with Donetsk and Luhansk [the self-proclaimed people’s republics] and legalizing the special status of Donbas.”
According to the Kremlin, “the situation with Navalny was touched upon” due to Merkel’s interest in the jailed opposition politician’s case. Earlier in the day on Thursday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists that the Kremlin isn’t monitoring Navalny’s situation, though “weeks earlier” Putin discussed it in international telephone conversations.