Putin warned Merkel

The Russian President, Vladimir Putin, warned the German Chancellor Angela Merkel that Ukraine is on the edge of a civil war, after Kiev sent the army against the separatists in the east, declared the Kremlin, on Wednesday.

"The Russian president noted that the brutal escalation of the conflict has put the country on the edge of a civil war," said a statement published  by Kremlin after a telephone conversation between Vladimir Putin and Angela Merkel.

The two leaders "stressed the importance of" negotiations, scheduled for April 17. "They have expressed the hope that the Geneva meeting can give a clear signal to return to the situation in a peaceful setting," said the press release.

A quadripartite meeting between Ukraine, Russia, the United States and the European Union will be held on Thursday, in Geneva, in order to try easing the Ukrainian crisis.

The Ukrainian military actions in the East is an "unconstitutional recourse to force against the peaceful demonstrators," said the statement. Also, Putin stressed the importance of stabilizing the Ukrainian economy and the continuation of Russian gas deliveries to Europe.

In a separate conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the Russian President "emphasized the fact that this brutal escalation is the result of irresponsible policies in Kiev, which ignored the rights and legal interests of the Russian-speaking population in the country."

He also considered "unacceptable" the use of force against "the civil protest actions" in eastern Ukraine.