BRUSSELS, October 29. /TASS/. The European Union expresses regret over Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s statement saying Moscow will recognise the elections in the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics, the EU Common Foreign and Security Policy said on Wednesday.

Ban Ki-moon's spokesman earlier said the elections in eastern Ukraine scheduled for November 2 will seriously undermine implementation of the Minsk agreements on the peaceful settlement of the conflict. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed regret with militias’ plans to hold their own elections in contravention of the Constitution and national legislation, he said.

The UN Secretary-General emphasises the fundamental importance of restoring stability and ensuring Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, he said.

Russia's position

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Tuesday said in an interview with the LifeNews television channel and the Izvestia newspaper that Russia hopes elections in the self-proclaimed Lugansk and Donetsk Republics will finally be held and will recognize their results.

“Elections due to be held in the self-proclaimed Luhansk and Donetsk People’s Republics on November 2 will be very important from the point of view of the legitimization of power,” he said. “We think this is one of the most important aspects of the Minsk agreements.”

“We hope the elections will be held as it was agreed,” he stressed. “And we are sure to recognize their results. We hope the expression of people’s will will be free and no one from outside will try to frustrate it.