Ukraine condemns Putin visit to Crimea as escalation of crisis - statement

KIEV (Reuters) - Ukraine's Foreign Ministry condemned a visit by President Vladimir Putin to the Crimean peninsula annexed by Russia in March as a deliberate escalation of a crisis between the two countries. "Such a provocation is yet another confirmation that Russia is deliberately pursuing further escalation of tensions in Ukrainian-Russian relations," Ukraine's Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Friday. (Reporting by Aleksandar Vasovic)