Ukraine's presidential polls may be starting point in dialogue with Russia — FM

Early presidential elections held in Ukraine on Sunday may be a starting point to establish dialogue with Russia, parliament-appointed Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Deshchytsia said in an interview with Japanese newspaper Yomiuri on Monday.

“We hope that if Russia recognizes election results this will become a starting point for dialogue aimed at building new relations [with Moscow],” Deshchytsia believes. He hopes Russia will recognize Ukrainian snap presidential elections results legitimate. “If many voters participate in polls and if international observers assess elections positively Russia has no reasons not to recognize its results,” the diplomat affirmed.

However, he believes that the West should not loosen pressure on Russia. “If the United States, the European Union and Japan lift sanctions from Russia Moscow will continue its expansion in Ukraine. It is extremely important to preserve pressure on Russia,” Deshchytsia affirmed.

At the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum Russian President Vladimir Putin named Western sanctions “absolutely counterproductive and not based on a fair attitude to current problems caused by intentions to impose on Russia development of international relations that does not meet international law, mutual interests and certainly does not meet Russian interests.”

The question of isolation of such country as Russia “is just ephemeral”. He recalled that Russia had a large trade with Europe and the US, therefore, sanctions will affect these countries in that situation. “Probably, we can cause damage to each other and a quite large one amid a quite difficult situation in world economy. Who needs this?” the president said, adding that “no one is obviously interested” in turbulent processes in world economy.