German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron called the “election” in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic and the Luhansk People’s Republic (“DPR” and “LPR”) illegal.
“The so-called elections undermine the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine,” the leaders said, following their meeting with President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko in Paris on Sunday, writes DW.
The two leaders stressed that the "voting" contradicted the Minsk agreements and the declaration of the heads of state and government of the Normandy Four countries – Ukraine, Russia, Germany, and France, signed in February 2015.
Read alsoSelf-proclaimed republics in Russian-occupied Donbas boast of high "voter turnout"
Local elections in Donetsk and Lugansk regions of Ukraine should be held in accordance with OSCE standards and Ukrainian legislation, Merkel and Macron stressed.
They also recalled the responsibility of all parties to the conflict in eastern Ukraine for full compliance with the Minsk agreements, the cease-fire regime and agreements on the withdrawal of heavy weapons.
European leaders firmly supported the idea of completion by the end of 2018 of the process of prisoner exchange and political prisoners release.
As UNIAN reported, the Russian-puppet “DPR and “LPR” on November 11 held sham "elections" of the so-called "heads of people's republics" and "deputies of people's councils."
The international community has condemned the pseudo-elections.
The European Union, the United States, and Japan declared that the holding of “elections” in the occupied parts of eastern Ukraine was a violation of the Minsk agreements.
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry stressed that the fake "elections" in Donbas would not be recognized either by Ukraine or by the international community.
