MOSCOW, February 20. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin told his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, that arms supplies to Ukraine provoke Kiev to opt for settling the Donbass problem by force, the Kremlin press service said on Sunday after their telephone conversation.
"Attention was drawn to the supplies of state-of-the-art weapons and munitions to Ukraine from NATO nations, which pushes Kiev toward a military solution of the so-called Donbass problem. As a result, it causes sufferings to civilians in the DPR and LPR (self-proclaimed Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics - TASS), who have to flee to Russia to escape from increasing shelling attacks," it said.
"In view of the current situation, the presidents agreed that it would be expedient to invigorate efforts to find diplomatic solutions via the foreign ministries and political advisers of the Normandy Four nations. These contacts are geared to help restore the ceasefire and ensure progress in the settlement of the conflict around Donbass," the Kremlin said.
"Serious concern was expressed over the dramatic deterioration of the situation along the contact line in Donbass. The Russian president noted that the escalation was caused by provocations by Ukrainian troops," it said.
"In furtherance of the discussions during the French president’s visit to Moscow and regular telephone contacts, the presidents exchanged views on the situation around Ukraine and on long-term legally-binding security guarantees to Russia," the Kremlin said.
It was the fifth telephone contact between the Russian and French presidents since the beginning of the year. Apart from that, they held talks in Moscow on February 7.
The situation along the contact line in eastern Ukraine deteriorated on Thursday morning, when the self-proclaimed republics reported the most intense shelling attacks by Ukrainian troops. One civilian was wounded and several civil infrastructure facilities were damaged.
Following a dramatic deterioration of the situation in Donbass, the self-proclaimed republics on Friday announced evacuation of civilians to Russia. Rostov region governor Vasily Golubev has asked assistance from the federal government. Russian President Vladimir Putin decreed to pay lump-sum allowances of 10,000 rubles (129.4 US dollars) to refugees from Donbass.
Other Russian regions, as well as Sukhum said they are ready to receive and accommodate people from Donbass.
The West and Kiev have recently been echoing allegations about Russia’s potential invasion of Ukraine. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov castigated these claims as "empty and unfounded", serving as a ploy to escalate tensions, pointing out that Russia did not pose any threat whatsoever to anyone. However, Peskov did not rule out the possibility of provocations aimed at justifying such claims and warned that attempts to use military force to resolve the crisis in southeastern Ukraine would have serious consequences.