The US has denounced as “sham and illegitimate” the weekend elections by pro-Russia rebels in eastern Ukraine, where more than 4,000 people have been killed, questioning Moscow’s commitment towards the peace process in the war-torn parts of the neighbouring country.
“The United States condemns the illegitimate, so-called ‘elections’ held on Sunday by Russia-backed separatists in parts of Donetsk and luhansk. “These sham elections contravened Ukraine’s constitution, the law on ‘special status’, and the most basic electoral norms,” Bernadette Meehan, Spokesperson of National Security Council of White House said.
Both Russia and its separatist proxies had agreed to honor Ukraine’s special status electoral law when they signed the Minsk Protocol of September 5. “They, therefore, violated the terms of that protocol with these so-called ‘elections’ on November 2,” Meehan said. The US, she said, would not recognise the authority of any individuals claiming to represent parts of Donetsk and luhansk “on the basis of this illegal vote”.
“We are concerned by a Russian Foreign Ministry statement today that seeks to legitimises these sham ‘elections’. We also continue to be concerned by reports that Russia is once more moving its troops and military equipment to portions of the international border,” Meehan said.