Ukraine, France urge Putin not to recognise rebel polls

The leaders of Ukraine, Germany and France today urged Russian President Vladimir Putin not to recognise weekend leadership polls that pro-Russian separatists are planning to hold during the weekend in eastern Ukraine.
"Ukraine, Germany and France expressed a common and clear position that they do not recognise the polls planned by separatists... And urged Russia not to recognise these elections," a statement by the Ukrainian presidency said after a four-way telephone conversation between Putin, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, French President Francois Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.