Russia has recognized Petro Poroshenko as Ukraine's president in the hope that he will stop the war, not drive the domestic conflict into deadlock, said Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
“As you know, we recognized President Poroshenko and we are very hopeful that President Poroshenko will use the mandate of trust he received, with all the nuances of the elections held in Ukraine on May 25,” Lavrov said at a briefing in Moscow on Aug. 25.
Hopefully, Poroshenko will use this mandate of trust in order “to stop the war and not inflame the conflict and further drive it deeper and deeper,” Lavrov said.
“National accord should be the main goal of any leader,” said the Russian foreign minister, while expressing hope that “the nationalist notes in Ukraine will sound not as loudly as some radicalists, including those represented in parliament, have been trying to do.”
