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Relations With Regions More Important Than Election for Ukraine – Putin

© RIA Novosti . Maksim Blinov / Go to the mediabankCampaign posters in Kiev
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The most important step forward for Kiev is not the upcoming presidential election but establishing relations with the country’s regions, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday.

SHANGHAI, May 21 (RIA Novosti) – The most important step forward for Kiev is not the upcoming presidential election but establishing relations with the country’s regions, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday.

“The most important are not the elections themselves [in Ukraine], but establishing relations with the regions, to make people feel themselves full-fledged citizens,” Putin said.

Ukraine saw a regime change in February when the country’s parliament, backed by far-right movements, voted to strip President Viktor Yanukovych of his powers, amended the constitution and scheduled early presidential election for May 25. A total of 23 candidates were registered to take part in the vote, but several later withdrew.

Despite the agreement reached in Geneva on April 17, when the sides agreed to start the de-escalation process, acting Ukrainian President Oleksandr Turchynov launched a special operation to crack down on pro-federalization protests in southeastern Ukraine, where local residents have protested against the authorities in Kiev.

In the run-up to the elections, federalist and nationalist forces have clashed in several deadly skirmishes in the south and east of the country, especially in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, which declared independence after referendums earlier this month. Pro-federalization activists have accused Kiev of launching special operations involving military helicopters with the UN markings in the regions.

Russia has called the Western-backed military operation against the protesters a “punitive act,” and accused Ukraine’s authorities of waging a war against their own people.

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