Politics of Ukraine

President Barack Obama on Tuesday unveiled a $1 billion US security plan for eastern Europe aimed at allaying fears over a resurgent Kremlin and the escalating pro-Russian uprising in ex-Soviet Ukraine.
      

Crisis-hit Ukraine won a vital reprieve from Russia on Monday when Moscow pushed back until next week a possible cut in gas shipments that would also impact parts of Europe.
      

Russia's Gazprom has pushed back to June 9 its ultimatum to Ukraine on imposing pre-payment for gas after Kiev paid $786 million in arrears, chief executive Alexei Miller said Monday.
      

Ukrainian Economy Minister Yuriy Prodan said "no progress" had been registered in negotiations with Russia over Kiev's debt for gas supplies.

Ukraine's former president Viktor Yanukovych says he will respect the results of Sunday's presidential elections.

"No matter in what region and what percentage of the population came to the polls, which choice you have made, I respect this choice that has been made in the most difficult time for our Motherland", Yanukovych said in a statement, quoted by ITAR-TASS.

According to exit polls, confectionery tycoon Petro Poroshenko wins 55% of the votes in Ukraine’s presidential elections.

The elections were marked with low turnout in the eastern part of the country, where polling stations were closed in many places by the pro-Russian separatists.

Former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko comes far behind in second place with 12.8%.

Ukrainians are going to the polls to vote in a new president after months of unrest following the ousting of former President Viktor Yanukovych.

Eighteen candidates are competing in the contest, which is widely seen as a crucial moment to unite the country.

Kiev authorities may stage provocations during the presidential elections in Ukraine, the people's governor of the Lugansk People's Republic,Valery Bolotov, said Saturday.

Russia's President Vladimir Putin announced he will respect the results of the presidential elections to be held Sunday in Ukraine.

At an economic conference in the city of St Petersburg he described the current situation in Ukraine as a "full-scale civil war".

Gazprom's CEO Alexei Miller expects that the contract between Gazprom and China's CNPC could affect the gas prices for Europe, reports the Russian-language version of ITAR-TASS. 

“We suppose that the contract will affect the gas prices for the European market,” Miller said at the  St. Petersburg International Economic Forum on Friday.