Just like the classic game of Telephone, President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin have two very different takeaways from a Monday phone call.
According to TIME, the White House said that Obama expressed "grave concern" over Russia's presence in Ukraine, and "emphasized that all irregular forces in the country need to lay down their arms." He also urged Putin to use his influence with armed pro-Russian groups to request that they leave buildings they have captured.
Meanwhile, a press release from the Kremlin stated that reports of Russia interfering in southern Ukraine are "based on inaccurate information," and that ongoing protests in the eastern provinces are the result of "the Kiev authorities' unwillingness to take into account the interests of the Russian and Russian-speaking population."
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Earlier Monday, leaders from Kiev asked that the United Nations send peacekeepers after pro-Russian protesters seized more government buildings. During Monday's phone call — the second between the U.S. and Russian presidents during the past few weeks — Obama reportedly commended the Ukrainian government for its management of the crisis and for holding an election scheduled for May 25.
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