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Moscow keeping close eye on situation in southeastern Ukraine — Kremlin

Dmitry Peskov also noted that there were no plans for talks with Kiev

MOSCOW, February 17. /TASS/. Moscow is keeping a close eye on the situation in southeastern Ukraine and its actions will depend on future developments, Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Thursday.

"We are keeping a close eye [on the situation]. We’ll see how the situation will unfold," he said, when asked if the Kremlin planned to take any action.

Reporters also asked if there were any plans for talks between Moscow and Kiev. In response, Peskov said that "there are no plans for talks with Kiev." "However, it is a source of deep concern," the Kremlin spokesman added.

According to Peskov, Russia expects that its "opponents in Western capitals" will use their influence to warn the Kiev authorities against escalating tensions further. "We have repeatedly warned that Ukraine’s excessive military buildup in close proximity to the line of contact, along with possible provocations, could pose a great danger. We can see that provocations are taking place. We have seen reports from the self-proclaimed republics about an exchange of strikes on the line of contact and the first strikes came from Ukraine. This is very alarming information," Peskov stressed.

"We hope that our opponents in Western capitals, in the US and NATO countries, will use their influence to warn Kiev against escalating tensions further," he added.

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Ukraine crisis Eastern Ukraine

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