KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine’s leader has ask to speak to Russian President Vladimir Putin about the Russian troop build-up along the Russian-Ukrainian border and the rising tensions in eastern Ukraine. But the request has been left unanswered. That’s what a spokeswoman for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told The Associated Press on Monday. She said: “We haven’t received a response so far and very much hope that it’s not a refusal of dialogue.” The Kremlin spokesman said Monday he hasn’t seen any requests from Zelenskyy “in recent days.” The exchange comes as tensions escalate in eastern Ukraine, where Russia-backed separatists and Ukrainian forces have been locked in a conflict since 2014.
