MOSCOW. April 16 (Interfax) - The irresponsible policy of the incumbent Ukrainian authorities has led to the escalation of the crisis in southeastern Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the phone.
"The Russian president noted that the sharp escalation of the crisis resulted from the irresponsible policy of Kyiv, which had been ignoring the lawful rights and interests of Russian-speaking residents of the country. He stressed the impressibility of the regime's use of the Armed Forces to suppress protests of the civilian population of southeastern Ukraine," said the Kremlin press service.