Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday that the situation in eastern Ukraine was xe2x80x9cdeterioratingxe2x80x9d and called on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to launch negotiations with Russian-backed separatists.

xc2xa0The comments came as separatists leaders in the Donbas announced mass evacuations of civilians into Russia on claims that Kyiv was planning an imminent attack.

xe2x80x9cAll that Kyiv needs to do is sit at the negotiating table with representatives of the Donbas and agree on political, military and economic measures to end the conflict,xe2x80x9d Putin said, speaking at a press conference in Moscow alongside Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko.
xe2x80x9cUnfortunately, right now we see a deterioration of the situation in the Donbas,xe2x80x9d he added.

Putin has repeatedly telegraphed that Moscow wants Kyiv to implement the 2015 Minsk agreements, a ceasefire deal that is the only existing framework for ending the war in eastern Ukraine.

Pro-Moscow separatists have controlled the self-proclaimed Luhansk and Donetsk Peoplexe2x80x99s Republics since conflict broke out in the Donbas following Ukrainexe2x80x99s 2014 Maidan revolution, which ousted its pro-Russian president and sparked Moscowxe2x80x99s annexation of Crimea.

Putin has regularly criticized Ukrainexe2x80x99s alignment toward the West since then, repeatedly alleging discrimination toward Russian speakers in Ukraine and criticizing the closure of pro-Russian media outlets. Earlier this week, he claimed that Kyiv was committing xe2x80x9cgenocidexe2x80x9d in the Donbas.

xe2x80x9cIn general in Ukraine there is a massive violation of human rights. On a legislative level, discrimination towards Russian speakers is being consolidated,xe2x80x9d Putin said Friday.xc2xa0

Russia has issued several hundred thousand passports to residents in the breakaway states in recent years.xc2xa0

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Friday he was not aware of the Donetsk or Luhansk republicsxe2x80x99 evacuation plans.

Despite Moscowxe2x80x99s announcements earlier this week that it was drawing down troops around its border with Ukraine, Western leaders say they have seen no proof of any pullback by Russian forces.xc2xa0

The U.S. estimated Friday that Russia has now amassed xe2x80x9cbetween 169,000-190,000 personnel in and near Ukrainexe2x80x9d xe2x80x94 up from around 100,000 at the end of January.xc2xa0

Washington has repeatedly warned that Russia could stage a xe2x80x9cfalse-flagxe2x80x9d operation to use as pretext to invade.