Russian President Vladimir Putin insists that presidential elections in Ukraine are impossible without constitutional reform.
“Strictly speaking, in line with the Ukrainian constitution, if it is
not amended, it is impossible to hold new presidential elections in the
presence of legitimate President Viktor Yanukovych,” Putin said during a
Q&A session on Thursday.
“In line with the existing [Ukrainian] constitution, no new president
can be elected if there is a live, incumbent, and legitimate
president,” Putin said.
“The leader of the presidential race there today is Mr. Poroshenko.
Part of his business is in Russia. He is manufacturing chocolates and
caramel candies here, which a lot of people here have probably tasted
without even knowing that the owner of this enterprise is Mr.
Poroshenko,” Putin said.
As for another Ukrainian presidential candidate, Yulia Tymoshenko,
Putin said. “I know Ms. Tymoshenko personally. Although she has called
for destroying Russians with nuclear weapons, I think this was likely a
result of some emotional breakdown, but we know each other very well. By
the way, she signed the well-known gas contracts, with which her party
associates and those who took part in signing this contract are refusing
to fulfill today. But we had once had quite good and businesslike
relations,” he said.
Putin said he personally does not know the rest of the presidential
candidates. “But we have an idea in general as to what these people are
like, and we will certainly work with anyone,” he said.
