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Presidential candidate: situation in Ukraine can be settled in 2 days

MOSCOW, April 26/ /ITAR-TASS/. The crisis in Ukraine can be settled in a matter of two days, presidential candidate and MP Oleg Tsarev said, on Saturday, April 26.

“The country can be saved and a war avoided. It’s easy to do. It can be done in two days. The government simply needs to begin negotiations with us,” Tsarev told the Russian TVC television channel’s Pravo Znat (The Right to Know) programme to be aired on Saturday evening.

“The main point is to stop the war that is advancing on Ukraine,” he said.

At the same time, he believes that “the [incumbent] authorities are showing no willingness to implement the Geneva agreement”. “The authorities are continuing arrests and repressions. The troops are surrounding small towns in the east. And I am seriously concerned that a mop-up [operation] will begin and blood will be spilled. This will forever separate the Southeast from Ukraine,” Tsarev said.

In this situation one can only pin hopes on people. “Ukrainians do not want to kill each other. All hopes are pinned on the people. They are sabotaging the war,” he said.

Tsarev said assertions alleging that Russia is playing a role in the situation in the southeast of Ukraine were wrong. “I personally know the people who are participating in the protest movement. I can see neither Russian money nor Russian aid nor Russian security services involved there,” he said.

Early presidential elections in Ukraine are slated for May 25. Twenty-three candidates have qualified to compete for the presidency. Nine of them were nominated by political parties.

Tsarev is an independent candidate, a former member of the Party of Regions, who offered on April 19 to mediate in the resolution of the crisis in the Southeast of Ukraine. He advocates cooperation with Russia, official status for the Russian language and common history of the two countries.

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Ukraine crisis Ukraine Ukraine presidential elections Eastern Ukraine

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