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| Russia's Vladimir Putin 'to respect' Ukraine vote | Russia's Vladimir Putin 'to respect' Ukraine vote |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Russia's President Putin has said he will respect the outcome of Ukraine's presidential election on Sunday. | Russia's President Putin has said he will respect the outcome of Ukraine's presidential election on Sunday. |
| Speaking at an economic conference in St Petersburg on Friday, Vladimir Putin also said he believed Ukraine had descended into "full-scale civil war". | |
| Meanwhile, pro-Russia separatists have clashed with self-defence fighters in the eastern city of Donetsk. | Meanwhile, pro-Russia separatists have clashed with self-defence fighters in the eastern city of Donetsk. |
| Violence in the east, particularly Donetsk and Luhansk, has seriously disrupted preparations for the polls. | Violence in the east, particularly Donetsk and Luhansk, has seriously disrupted preparations for the polls. |
| Separatist insurgents in the two regions declared independence after disputed referendums earlier this month and have pledged to derail Sunday's vote. | |
| After the votes on 11 May, Moscow said it respected the results and called for peaceful "practical implementation" of the "will of the people", even though Mr Putin had urged a delay to the referendums days before. | |
| The presidential elections were called after the last elected president, Viktor Yanukovych, was deposed in February amid mass protests against his pro-Russian policies. | |
| "We understand that the people of Ukraine want their country to emerge from this crisis. We will treat their choice with respect," President Putin said in St Petersburg. | |
| "It would have been better to hold a referendum and adopt a new constitution. Under the current constitution (Viktor) Yanukovych is still in power," he added. | |
| Mr Putin also voiced concern that Ukraine would join Nato and said that he hoped the leadership in Kiev would end military action in eastern Ukraine. |