We won’t be annexing east Ukraine, insists Putin

VLADIMIR Putin said yesterday that Russia has no intention of trying to annex Ukraine’s eastern provinces.

Pro-Russia separatists in Ukraine have claimed that 89 per cent of those in the Donetsk region and 9 per cent in neighbouring Luhansk want to break away from Kiev after a referendum on selfrule was passed on Sunday.

However, Ukraine’s central government and the West have condemned the balloting as a sham and a violation of international law.

Last night Russia urged Kiev to enter talks with the pro-Russian separatists in the east.

The cautious stance contrasts with Russia’s quick annexation of Crimea in March. It is believed to reflect Putin’s hope to negotiate a solution to what has become the worst crisis between Russia

‘Ballot has zero credibility’

and the West since the Cold War. Denis Pushilin, leader of the Donetsk People’s Republic, called on Russia to ‘absorb’ the region, saying Moscow should listen to the ‘will of the people’.

But the Kremlin urged the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe to broker talks between Kiev and representatives of the eastern region.

Separatists claimed the referendum turnout topped 70 per cent but with no international election monitors in place, officials said it was all but impossible to confirm such claims.

A second round of voting is expected next week on whether those in the eastern regions support joining Russia.

Foreign Secretary William Hague said the referendum has ‘zero credibility’ and that what matters most now is for the Ukrainian presidential election to go ahead on May 25.