You're reading: Poroshenko: Russia’s meddling in elections in Ukraine to be minimized

President Petro Poroshenko of Ukraine has said he is going to minimize the Russian Federation’s meddling in the upcoming presidential and parliamentary elections in Ukraine.

“I would like to assure you that as president, I will do everything possible to minimize Russian meddling in our elections,” Poroshenko said at a traditional meeting with heads of diplomatic missions of foreign states and international organizations accredited to Ukraine in Kyiv on January 16.

Also, he promised to create all necessary conditions for conducting free and fair elections in keeping with the highest international standards.

“For this purpose, we have invited observers from leading international organizations and individual states to observe the presidential elections,” the president said.

He said Moscow’s plans are no secret. “As a matter of fact, the Russian leaders do not particularly conceal it: [they wish] to bring to power in the presidential and parliamentary elections in Ukraine the authorities under their control. Their goal is also quite clear—to stop the democratic development of Ukraine and its movement towards European and Euro-Atlantic integration, and return it to the so-called ‘Russian sphere of influence,'” the Ukrainian head of state said.

Poroshenko said Russia has already launched a full swing operation to meddle in the Ukrainian elections.