Editor's Note: On May 7, Russian President Vladimir Putin called for Kremlin-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine to postpone a May 11 referendum on joining the Russian Federation.
He called the May 25 Ukrainian presidential election " a step in the right direction," but noted that "it will not solve anything unless all of Ukraine’s people first understand how their rights will be guaranteed once the election has taken place."
Putin stressed that "direct dialogue between the Kiev authorities and representatives of southeast Ukraine is the key to settling this crisis."
