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| Ukraine crisis: Putin says referendum on autonomy should be postponed | Ukraine crisis: Putin says referendum on autonomy should be postponed |
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| The Russian president, Vladimir Putin, has said a planned 11 May referendum on autonomy in south-east Ukraine should be postponed and described nationwide presidential elections scheduled for later in the month as a "step in the right direction". | |
| In a meeting with the Swiss president, Didier Burkhalter, Putin also called on Ukraine's military to halt all operations against pro-Russia activists who have seized government buildings and police stations across at least a dozen towns in eastern Ukraine. | In a meeting with the Swiss president, Didier Burkhalter, Putin also called on Ukraine's military to halt all operations against pro-Russia activists who have seized government buildings and police stations across at least a dozen towns in eastern Ukraine. |
| Pro-Russia separatists in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region said they would consider Putin's call to postpone the regional referendum at a meeting of their assembly tomorrow. Denis Pushilin, a leader of the self-declared Donetsk People's Republic, said: "We have the utmost respect for President Putin. If he considers that necessary, we will of course discuss it." | Pro-Russia separatists in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region said they would consider Putin's call to postpone the regional referendum at a meeting of their assembly tomorrow. Denis Pushilin, a leader of the self-declared Donetsk People's Republic, said: "We have the utmost respect for President Putin. If he considers that necessary, we will of course discuss it." |
| Putin also said the upcoming presidential elections in Ukraine – slated for 25 May – were a move "in the right direction", but repeated that constitutional reforms would have to precede any nationwide vote in Ukraine. | Putin also said the upcoming presidential elections in Ukraine – slated for 25 May – were a move "in the right direction", but repeated that constitutional reforms would have to precede any nationwide vote in Ukraine. |
| Putin said Russia had withdrawn its forces from its border with Ukraine, the Interfax news agency reported, though Nato later said it had not seen any signs of movement. | |
| "We're always being told that our forces on the Ukrainian border are a concern. We have withdrawn them. Today they are not on the Ukrainian border. They are in places where they conduct their regular tasks on training grounds," Putin was quoted as saying. | "We're always being told that our forces on the Ukrainian border are a concern. We have withdrawn them. Today they are not on the Ukrainian border. They are in places where they conduct their regular tasks on training grounds," Putin was quoted as saying. |
| A senior UN diplomat arrived in Kiev on Wednesday while Switzerland's president met Putin in Moscow in a flurry of diplomatic activity seeking to de-escalate tensions in Ukraine. | A senior UN diplomat arrived in Kiev on Wednesday while Switzerland's president met Putin in Moscow in a flurry of diplomatic activity seeking to de-escalate tensions in Ukraine. |
| Jeffrey Feltman, the UN under-secretary general for political affairs, met Ukraine's acting president, Oleksandr Turchynov, earlier in the day. The British foreign secretary, William Hague, also arrived in Ukraine to speak to the nation's leaders. | Jeffrey Feltman, the UN under-secretary general for political affairs, met Ukraine's acting president, Oleksandr Turchynov, earlier in the day. The British foreign secretary, William Hague, also arrived in Ukraine to speak to the nation's leaders. |
| Burkhalter, chairman of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), was scheduled to meet Putin for discussions on Ukraine and the status of OSCE observers on the ground. Eight international military observers travelling with the OSCE mission who were taken hostage by pro-Russia insurgents in the eastern city of Slovyansk were released on Saturday. | Burkhalter, chairman of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), was scheduled to meet Putin for discussions on Ukraine and the status of OSCE observers on the ground. Eight international military observers travelling with the OSCE mission who were taken hostage by pro-Russia insurgents in the eastern city of Slovyansk were released on Saturday. |
| Russia and the west have expressed a desire for the OSCE to play a greater role in defusing the tensions in Ukraine. | Russia and the west have expressed a desire for the OSCE to play a greater role in defusing the tensions in Ukraine. |
| The US and European nations have increased diplomatic efforts before Ukraine's 25 May presidential election, as a pro-Russia insurgency continues to rock the country's eastern regions. Feltman was in Moscow on Tuesday and met Gennady Gatilov, a deputy foreign minister. | The US and European nations have increased diplomatic efforts before Ukraine's 25 May presidential election, as a pro-Russia insurgency continues to rock the country's eastern regions. Feltman was in Moscow on Tuesday and met Gennady Gatilov, a deputy foreign minister. |
| Speaking in a BBC interview, Hague lent his support to the election. He said Ukrainians could not be "bullied out of having their elections by disorder that is deliberately fomented and coordinated from another country, in this instance Russia". | Speaking in a BBC interview, Hague lent his support to the election. He said Ukrainians could not be "bullied out of having their elections by disorder that is deliberately fomented and coordinated from another country, in this instance Russia". |
| In Berlin, a Ukrainian presidential candidate said he was prepared to negotiate a decentralisation of power, as pro-Russia insurgents have demanded. But Petro Poroshenko, a billionaire chocolate magnate, added that some separatists in the eastern region understood only "the language of force". | In Berlin, a Ukrainian presidential candidate said he was prepared to negotiate a decentralisation of power, as pro-Russia insurgents have demanded. But Petro Poroshenko, a billionaire chocolate magnate, added that some separatists in the eastern region understood only "the language of force". |
| • Join our journalists to discuss the latest developments in Ukraine | • Join our journalists to discuss the latest developments in Ukraine |