Holding the 'elections' in the occupied areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions may cause the launch of a new wave of sanctions against Russia. Petro Poroshenko, the president of Ukraine said this at a high-level international conference.
'I expect that the so-called fake elections that Russia decided to hold on November 11 will launch the introduction of new sanctions, showing that the West's patience has its limits, too. It's time to speak not about weakening the sanctions against Russia, but about strengthening them. And the current news from the U.S. is totally positive for the entire Euro-Atlantic community', Poroshenko said.
Earlier, the Russian militants announced that the local election would be held on the territory of 'people's republics' in Donbas on November 11, 2018. This is due to the assassination of Aleksandr Zakharchenko, the former leader of 'Donetsk People's Republic'.
The Russian delegation in Minsk talks group said it was ready to recognize the outcome of the election. Poroshenko, on the other hand, added that the 'election' would have no legal consequences and would not be recognized by the international community.
Most recently, the U.S. Department of the State reported to the Congress, stating that Russia fails to observe the 1991 U.S. law on the ban of the military use of chemical and biological weapons. This will result in tough sanctions against the Kremlin, Heather Nauert, the authority spokeswoman said.