The holding of illegitimate elections on the territory of the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk people's republics is the main threat to the peaceful settlement in eastern Ukraine, the country's president Petro Poroshenko said.
“We defined attempts to hold illegitimate, fake elections in Donbas on Oct. 18 and Nov. 1 as the main threat to the Minsk process,” Poroshenko said at a joint press conference with EU Commissioner for European Neighborhood Policy & Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn in Kyiv on Sept. 11.
“I would like to clearly state our joint position: elections in Donbas must be held in line with Ukrainian laws, in line with the Minsk agreements and in line with OSCE/ODIHR procedures. They must be recognized and confirmed by international observers. They must be held in conditions that ensure free expression of will,” Poroshenko said.
