KHABAROVSK, August 31 (RIA Novosti) – It is impossible to say when the Ukraine crisis may end as everything depends on the political will of current Kiev authorities, Russian President Vladimir Putin told Russia’s Channel One Sunday.
When asked whether it is possible to predict when the crisis in Ukraine will end, Putin said “No. It depends heavily on the political will of the current Ukrainian authorities.”
The overall situation is aggravated by the upcoming Ukrainian parliamentary elections, the president added.
“The country is facing parliamentary elections and all participants in the electoral race, which has already begun, want to show how cool they are. Everyone wants to show they are strongmen or strongwomen, and as the political struggle sharpens it is hard to expect anyone to seek a peaceful resolution and not a military one. But we nevertheless hope for the best,” Putin concluded.
Earlier this week, Petro Poroshenko dissolved the parliament and announced that Ukraine will hold early parliamentary elections on October 26.
Ukraine’s president had repeatedly stressed the necessity of forming a new parliament in the country, noting that the current composition of the Verkhovna Rada, the official name for Ukraine’s parliament, did not represent the interests of Ukrainian society.
