WASHINGTON
— The Kremlin should show it accepts the outcome of Sunday's election
in Ukraine by working with the new government and whoever is elected
Ukraine's next president, the United States said on Friday.
In
a speech in St Petersburg, Russian President Vladimir Putin said he
wants better ties with the West and indicated he would accept the
outcome of Ukraine's presidential poll.
"We
will treat the choice of the Ukrainian people with respect," Putin told
foreign and Russian businessmen when asked whether Russia will
recognize the legitimacy of Sunday's election.
Both the White House and State Department were unconvinced by Putin's words.
"We'll
have to see whether in fact Russia does recognize and then take steps
to engage with the Ukrainian government and the victor of the
presidential election," White House spokesman Jay Carney told reporters
aboard Air Force One.
He
added: "We further urge Russia to use its influence to persuade
separatists in eastern Ukraine and elsewhere to vacate buildings they've
occupied, to lay down their weapons, to cease the activities they've
engaged in that have caused violence and instability ... and instead to
participate in the democratic process in that country."
At
the State Department, spokeswoman Marie Harf said there was evidence
that pro-Russian separatists in Ukraine were trying to disrupt the vote.
"We've
seen, particularly in a couple of places in the east, these separatists
trying purposefully to disrupt the elections with violence, taking over
of government buildings, taking ballot boxes, taking voter registration
lists," she said.
She
also dismissed comments by a Russian deputy defense minister on Friday
that Russia intended to pull back all forces deployed to regions near
the Ukraine border "within a few days."
"And
regardless ... the force that remains on the border is very large and
very capable and remains in a very coercive position and posture," Harf
said.
Kiev
and its Western allies see the Russian troops as a potential invasion
force. The United States and NATO have said Russia has amassed some
40,000 troops near the frontier.
Washington
has warned Russia it will impose broader economic and industrial
sanctions against it, with support from European states, if Moscow
interferes in Sunday's election.
(Reporting by Lesley Wroughton and Mark Felsenthal; Editing by Mohammad Zargham)
COPY http://www.nytimes.com/
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