Putin asks Ukraine separatists to postpone May 11 referendum

Russian President Vladimir Putin today asked pro-Kremlin separatists in southeastern Ukraine to postpone a series of disputed referendums planned for this weekend on declaring greater autonomy or outright independence from Kiev.
"We ask the representatives of the southeast to postpone the referendums planned for May 11 in order to create the conditions necessary for dialogue," Putin said after a Kremlin meeting with Swiss president and current OSCE chief Didier Burkhalter.