Elections to be held by separatists in Ukraine will be recognized by Russia

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. Reuters

The results of the parliamentary and presidential elections on November 2 in the eastern Ukrainian regions controlled by the pro-Russian insurgents, are gonna be recognized by Russia.

This was stated by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in an interview with the Russian daily Izvestia. “We hope that the elections be held as agreed and of course we’ll recognize their results,” he said.

“We hope that the expression of the people be free and no one from the outside try to disturb it,” said Lavrov, who said that the elections “will be very important to legitimize the authorities.”

“This is one of the most important points of Minsk agreements” about the ceasefire between Kiev and pro-Russian separatists, signed on September 5 with the participation of Russia, he said.

However, for Ukraine, the Russian support to elections “undermines the peace process, weakening confidence in that country as an international sure partner,” told to AFP Dimytro Kuleba, a senior official of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry.