Ukraine in Arabic | EU will not recognize Donbass elections
KYIV/Ukraine in Arabic/ The European Union has condemned the "elections" held by terrorists in eastern Ukraine, calling them illegal.
EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini stated that the vote was "a new obstacle on the path towards peace in Ukraine".
"The vote is illegal and illegitimate, and the European Union will not recognize it," Mogherini said in her statement.
"These 'elections' were held contrary to the letter and the spirit of the Minsk Protocol, signed by the representatives of the trilateral Contact Group, and obstruct efforts to find a sustainable political solution to the crisis," she said.
"Early local elections in accordance with Ukrainian law, as foreseen in the Minsk Protocol, are the legal and legitimate means of renewing the democratic mandate of the local authorities in these parts of Ukraine," she said.
EU Delegation to Russia spokesman Soren Liborius said that the European External Action Service had already issued a statement of EU High Representative and Vice President Federica Mogherini regarding this matter.
The statement also calls on Russia to use its influence to help pave the way for local elections in accordance with Ukrainian laws. It would be a very valuable contribution to the implementation of the Minsk Protocol, it said.
According to militants, separatist leader Alexander Zakharchenko currently wins in a terrorist electoral farce in Donetsk - he allegedly won over 80% of the vote. Igor Plotnitsky, who has recently headed LPR separatists, holds the lead in Luhansk. Over 60% of residents allegedly "voted" for him.
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko described these "elections" as "a farce under the muzzles of tanks and machine guns," which poses a threat to peace in Ukraine.
Moscow declared legitimate the results of the "vote" in rebel-held territories.