MOSCOW, March 4. /TASS/. Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev assured that after the presidential election in Ukraine, Moscow would be ready for a dialogue with the new leadership of the country, if it is interested in it. However, at the moment, Medvedev does not know with whom Russia could talk in Kiev and notes gross violations in the elections.
"A fierce, dirty election campaign is underway in Ukraine. Observing this, we in Russia do not yet see with whom we could talk in Ukraine," Medvedev said in an interview with Bulgarian newspaper Trud before his visit to Sofia. "But in any case, we will respect the choice of our neighbors, the choice of Ukrainians. And we will be open to dialogue with the new leadership - if it is interested in it," he added.
Medvedev noted, "It matters whether the victory is fair, whether the election is legitimate and not rigged." In his opinion, "recent events make one suspect the worst." "The presidential campaign in that country has featured flagrant violations of generally accepted democratic norms, including those guiding European countries," he added.
"First, at the very outset of the pre-election marathon, Kiev, under flimsy pretexts, closed polling stations in its diplomatic and consular offices in Russia. About 3 million Ukrainians who live and work in Russia have lost their ability to vote. This is a clear violation of their electoral rights," Medvedev continued.
According to the Prime Minister, the procedure for observing the voting process was violated. "Russian citizens were prohibited from participating in election monitoring, even as part of OSCE monitoring missions. This is a serious violation of Ukraine’s own international obligations. And it is exceedingly rare in practice. Obviously, the ruling regime has something to hide," he said.
He noted, "Russia is certainly eager to improve relations with Ukraine." "We are neighbors. Many Russians have relatives there, just as Ukrainians have them in Russia. We have a common history and culture. Until recently, we had mutually beneficial economic relations," Medvedev noted. "But now the situation is very difficult. To change it, we both need to move toward the middle. However, Kiev behaves in such a way that it is difficult to make any predictions," he noted.
"The government in Kiev regularly levels made-up accusations at us. Provocations are staged, such as the incident in the Kerch Strait in November 2018. Russia is openly used as an issue to distract voters from the government’s failures in domestic policy and the economy, from civilian casualties in Donbass, and from economic ruin," the Prime Minister noted.
According to Medvedev, "It seems that, without Russia, President Poroshenko, who is running for a second term, would have had nothing to talk to his people about. If he cannot sustain dialogue with his people, he is unlikely to be able to negotiate with the leadership of a neighboring state.".