MOSCOW, February 19. /ITAR-TASS/. President Vladimir Putin urged the West to strongly condemn opposition extremists in Kiev and stop laying all the blame for the escalation of violence on the Ukrainian authorities.

In a telephone conversation with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Wednesday, February 19, Putin stressed the importance for Western countries to stop blaming the Ukrainian leadership and to condemn the opposition forces responsible for organising unlawful extremist and terrorist actions.

“The president and the chancellor voiced most serious concern about the dramatic escalation of internal confrontation that led to numerous human losses,” the presidential press service said.

Putin and Merkel called for joint measures to help stabilise the situation in Ukraine.

The two leaders agreed to continue their contacts on Ukraine.

Merkel, who is in Paris on a working visit, spoke about her telephone conversation with Putin herself. The chancellor said she had told Putin that French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius, his German colleague Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Polish counterpart Radosalw Sikorski would visit Kiev on Thursday morning, February 20.