Developments in the east of Ukraine

Pro- Russian separatists in the east of the country held legislative and presidential elections

România Internațional, 03.11.2014, 13:21

Defying the authorities in Kiev and the West, the pro-Russian separatists in the east of Ukraine on Sunday held presidential and parliamentary elections in the regions of Donetsk and Lugansk. The elections, supported by Moscow, were held one week after the self-styled republics boycotted the legislative elections in Ukraine in which the pro-European forces were the winners. The separatist leaders of the two strongholds, Alexander Zaharcenko in Donetsk and Igor Plotnitki in Lugansk won the presidential elections by a landslide, given that, according to international news agencies, their challengers were virtually unknown people.

The Ukrainian President, Petro Poroshenko, labeled Sunday’s presidential elections held in the separatist regions as “a farce made under the threat of tanks and guns”. He said the move infringed on the ceasefire agreement concluded in September in Minsk, which was also signed by Russia, regarding the settling of the situation in the east of Ukraine.

The European foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, said the vote was illegal and illegitimate, and the EU would not recognize it. Brussels considers the elections a “new obstacle” in the way of the fragile peace process that follows a more-than-6-months conflict between the government troops and the separatists, which left behind 4 thousand dead.

The German foreign minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Monday reminded the Russian authorities of their promise to observe “the unity of Ukraine”. According to analysts Sunday’s vote could sanction the definitive loss of Kiev’s control over the rebel regions in the east of the country. The elections, won by the pro-Russian rebels, will hamper the peace efforts made to solve the Ukrainian crisis, which has led to the worst deterioration of relations between the West and Russia since the end of the Cold War.