| CNN | - |
(CNN)
-- A separatist leader declared Monday that eastern Ukraine's Donetsk
region was not only independent, but also would ask to join Russia -- a
day after referendum organizers claim voters in the region chose to
break away from Kiev.
Ukraine's Donetsk region asking to join Russia, separatist leader says
updated 12:58 PM EDT, Mon May 12, 2014
Chaotic referendums in eastern Ukraine
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- NEW: No further referendum is needed to ask Russia to annex Donetsk, separatist leader says
- Separatists say people in Donetsk voted to secede from Ukraine
- NATO secretary general blasts referendum as "illegal"
- Acting Ukrainian President Oleksandr Turchynov slams votes, calls referendum "farce"
Denis Pushilin,
self-declared leader of the Donetsk People's Republic, told a crowd that
no further referendum was needed to ask Russia to annex it.
Pro-Russian separatists
held a referendum Sunday asking residents of the Donetsk region whether
it should declare independence from Ukraine. Nearly 90% of voters in the
area favored secession, an election official said Monday.
A similar question was put to voters in Luhansk. Preliminary results were expected Monday, officials said.
Neither Ukraine's
government nor the European Union immediately reacted to Pushilin's
overture to Russia, though both dismissed Sunday's votes.
Ukraine expats vote in Moscow
Some Ukraine voters seen voting twice
Controversial vote in eastern Ukraine
"This propagandist farce
will not have any legal consequences, only criminal responsibility of
its organizers," acting Ukrainian President Oleksandr Turchynov said in a
statement Monday.
"That farce the
terrorists call a referendum is nothing else but a propagandist cover
for killings, kidnapping, violence and other grave crimes," he said.
He reiterated that his
government will continue fighting against "terrorists, saboteurs and
criminals" but will negotiate with those in eastern Ukraine "who do not
have blood on their hands and those who are ready to defend their goals
and beliefs in a legal way."
A vote for autonomy is a vote for the self-destruction of the east, Turchynov has said.
It would cut residents
off from the national economy and social programs, he said. "It is a
step (to) nowhere for these regions. It is euphoria that may lead to
very complex consequences, and many people can already feel them."
The vote is a stark
contrast to recent polling by the Pew Research Center, which found that
70% of people in eastern Ukraine want the country to remain united.
Pushilin's announcement
is reminiscent of separatists' moves in the Black Sea peninsula of
Crimea, which Russia annexed after Crimeans voted to secede from Ukraine
and join Russia in a March 16 referendum.
Reactions from Russia, NATO, European Union
Russia welcomed Sunday's votes.
"Moscow respects the
will of the population of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, and hopes
that the practical implementation of the outcome of the referendums will
proceed along civilized lines, without repeat outbreaks of violence,"
the Kremlin said in a statement.
NATO Secretary General
Anders Fogh Rasmussen told CNN's Christiane Amanpour on Monday that
"those referendums don't count." He called the vote "illegal."
The referendum was
"organized in a chaotic manner with dubious and ambiguous questions," he
said, adding that the only "thing that counts" is Ukraine's planned
presidential election on May 25.
"I urge all actors to make sure that those general elections can be conducted in an orderly manner," Rasmussen said.
He said that he feels
NATO and its allies have sent a "very clear message to Moscow" and
assured its allies. Recently, U.S. Army forces have been deployed to
Poland and three Baltic states. Amanpour challenged Rasmussen, asking
him whether he thought that was enough to demonstrate "heft."
Rasmussen responded that NATO is "considering further steps."
"Those further steps
might include an update of existing defense plans, development of new
defense plans, enhanced exercises and also appropriate deployment," he
said.
It's too early, he said,
to describe anything more specifically, "but we will not hesitate to
take further steps if needed," he said.
German Chancellor Angela
Merkel also described the referendum as illegitimate and said the focus
should be on the May 25 presidential election in Ukraine.
Meanwhile, the European
Union imposed sanctions related to the Ukraine crisis on another 13
people, bringing the total number to 61, an EU diplomat said Monday.
Details about the
sanctions given to the 13 weren't immediately available, but previously
announced sanctions included asset freezes and visa bans.
The diplomat did not
name the newly sanctioned people or reveal their nationalities. Previous
targets included Dmitry Kozak, Russia's deputy prime minister; Valery
Gerasimov, Russia's military chief; and pro-Russian separatists in
Ukraine, including Pushilin.
The EU also has imposed sanctions on two entities in Crimea, the diplomat said Monday.
Merkel and French
President Francois Hollande have warned that Russia could face more
consequences if the Ukrainian presidential vote does not go ahead as
planned.
"If no internationally
recognized presidential election were to take place, this would
inevitably further destabilize the country," Merkel said.
In that case, she said, "we are ready to take further sanctions against Russia."
Merkel and Hollande also
said that Russian troops along the Ukrainian border "should undertake
visible steps to reduce their readiness."
Putin announced a troop
pullback Wednesday, but NATO says it has seen no signs of a withdrawal
of Russian forces from the border area.
Russia annexed the
southern region of Crimea after announced results in a separatist
referendum showed more than 90% in favor of joining Russia. In an
independent Pew survey, 54% of Crimea residents showed support for
secession.
The Kremlin has said
that it has no interest in annexing other parts of Ukraine. But it is
pushing for the country to adopt a constitution that would give regions
where Russian is widely spoken a larger voice in policy-making.
Critics fear that the
creation of autonomous pro-Russian regions in Ukraine would cement
alliances with the Kremlin that would give it essential control over
them.
Journalist Lena Kashkarova contributed to this report from Donetsk.
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