Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow will “respect” the outcome of Ukraine’s presidential election this weekend and “will work” with the new leadership, even though he questioned the legitimacy of the vote in the midst of “chaos and full-blown civil war.”
“We see that Ukrainians want their country to overcome this prolonged crisis. We also want that there is some kind of settlement in the end and we respect the choice of the Ukrainian people,” Mr. Putin stated addressing an investment forum in St Petersburg on Friday.
He said the coup against President Viktor Yanukovych, “supported by our American and European partners,” was what plunged Ukraine into crisis.
Russia is ready to work with whoever is elected on May 25, Mr. Putin said. “We are now working with people who control the power, and after the elections we will work with newly-elected structures,” he said. “I hope all military actions would be halted immediately after the vote.”
Moscow earlier insisted that Kiev put off the presidential election until after it sorts out its relations with Russian-speaking regions and undertakes a constitutional reform. However the Kremlin threw its support behind the vote when armed rebellion in eastern Ukraine threatened the country with a breakup.
Two days before the presidential vote, Kiev pressed on with its military “anti-terrorist operation” in the east, which is growing increasingly ugly and chaotic.
New evidence emerged on Friday that Ukrainian ultranationalist militia kill Ukrainian soldiers who refuse to shoot at civilians and separatist self-defence activists.
An eight-minute video shot by a Ukrainian soldier showed two Ukrainian Mi-24 helicopter gunships attacking a group of armed uniformed men with Ukrainian army insignia.
The helicopters strafed the soldiers early on Thursday near the village of Blahodatne in Donetsk region shortly after they had been attacked by unidentified militants, who killed 17 soldiers and wounded another 32.
Local residents said they were refusing to take part in the crackdown.