TheGuardian reports,"Vladimir Putin has given the strongest indication yet that Russia is defusing its policy towards Ukraine, saying that Moscow will "respect the choice of the Ukrainian people" and work with the country's government after a new president is elected on Sunday.
Previously, the Kremlin had not made it clear whether it would recognise the vote amid the continuing violence in the east of the country, where pro-Moscow separatists have declared two independent statelets after questionable referendums held earlier this month.
The separatist authorities have said they will do everything possible to disrupt the elections, stating they do not plan to hold "the presidential elections of a neighbouring state" on their territory, and there has been a campaign of terror and intimidation against polling stations and election officials.
Putin blamed the west for provoking the Ukraine crisis and said the country was now experiencing "full-blown civil war". However, he suggested on Friday that the Kremlin would recognise the vote. Since former president Viktor Yanukovych fled Ukraine in February, Moscow has referred to the interim government as a "junta" with no legitimacy. Russia has annexed the Crimea peninsula, and Kiev has accused it of stirring up an armed revolt in the east of the country as well.
As Sunday's election approaches, violence in the east has continued, with Ukraine's defense ministry saying up to 500 insurgents attacked government troops in one clash in eastern Ukraine that left 20 insurgents dead. The ministry said in a statement the clash took place on Thursday as a convoy of Ukrainian troops was attacked outside the eastern village of Rubizhne. Up to 16 Ukrainian soldiers also died on Thursday in an assault on a checkpoint by separatists.
On Friday, the Donbass paramilitary group, which operates with the tacit backing of Kiev, said it had been ambushed by separatist forces, with at least one dead, and many injured or taken hostage.
Voting in the east will be severely limited on Sunday, with pro-Kiev forces not fully in control of the region and a fear that violence could spike as the separatists attempt to disrupt the vote. Kiev has said it will halt its "anti-terrorism operation" against separatist forces on voting day.
Frontrunner Petro Poroshenko needs more than 50% to win the election in the first round, otherwise there will be a run-off three weeks later. Pro-Kiev authorities in the east are hoping for a first-round victory to avoid another period of political uncertainty. Poroshenko has said he would negotiate with political forces from the east of the country, but not with armed separatists responsible for attacks on official buildings and soldiers".
