Updated 4:30 p.m. Moscow Time
MILAN, October 17 (RIA Novosti) – During meetings in Milan, Russian President Vladimir Putin made it clear that Russia does not want eastern Ukraine to turn into another Transnistria, President of the European Council Herman Van Rompuy said Friday.
“President Putin made it clear that he does not want the creation of another Transnistria and that the Donbas region is an integral part of Ukraine,” the official said.
Van Rompuy also said the meeting exposed “differences of view” regarding various aspects of the Ukraine crisis, and added that “more meetings will take place this afternoon to address some of these questions.”
This came on the heels of fringe talks between Vladimir Putin, Petro Poroshenko and several EU leaders during the Asia-Europe (ASEM) summit in northern Italy. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said the breakfast meeting focused on the Ukraine crisis, adding “differences” remained in the leaders’ take on the dispute between Kiev and the two breakaway republics in east Ukraine.
In April, Ukraine’s eastern regions became the target of a Kiev-led military operation launched in response to the local residents' refusal to recognize the new Ukrainian government, which came to power as a result of a February coup.
Residents of the Luhansk and Donetsk regions proclaimed the establishment of the people’s republics based on the results of referendums held in May.
The drive for independence in eastern Ukraine is reminiscent of the independence-minded Transnistria region in Moldova, a strip of land on the border with Ukraine with a predominantly Russian and Ukrainian population.
In 1992, Transnistria declared its independence from Moldova in a move, which led to armed hostilities and Moldova’s subsequent loss of control over the region following a failed crackdown.
The region is now seeking international recognition, while Moldova offers Transnistria autonomy within a unitary state.
