Poroshenko eyes Moscow talks

Billionaire confectionary tycoon and president-elect Petro Poroshenko said Monday that restoring stability in eastern regions of Ukraine will require Moscow's involvement. With early returns from Sunday's election giving Poroshenko a commanding majority, he said he hoped to meet Russia's leaders in the first half of June.

"I hope Russia will support efforts to tackle the situation in the east [of Ukraine]," Poroshenko told a news conference. He reiterated his readiness to meet with separatists who had laid down their arms, but said he would not meet with "terrorists" who threaten the security of the state.

Poroshenko also said he would do everything in his power to return the Crimea region to the country, after it was annexed by Russia in March following a contentious referendum on independence.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov responded to the vote on Monday saying that Moscow had a positive view on the polls and that "we are ready for dialogue with Kyiv representatives, with Petro Poroshenko." Ahead of the polls, Russian President Vladimir Putin had said he would respect the election's outcome.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel's spokesman Steffen Seibert on Monday said Ukrainians have sent a clear message with their ballots that they want to overcome the crisis together through democracy. He said Berlin is urging a constructive relationship between Kyiv and Moscow. "It is also important for Russia to have a constructive relationship with the new leadership that emerges from this election," Seibert said at a news conference.

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier told news channel n-tv he was "pleased that there was no need for a second round of voting," because this could have further destabilized the country.

More 'efficient' military operation

One looming point of contention will likely be Kyiv's military operation against separatists in the east. Lavrov warned that it would be a "massive mistake" if the new government pursues its operations against the insurgents.

Meanwhile, Poroshenko on Monday said he wanted to continue the military offensive in the separatist east but wanted to make it more "efficient."

"I support continuing the operation, but I demand that its format be changed," he told reporters, "It must be shorter in terms of time-frames and more efficient."

Poroshenko has said he would make his first trip outside the capital a visit to the eastern Donbas industrial belt.

A crucial election

Exit poll results have put 48-year-old Poroshenko - known as the "Chocolate King" - far ahead of his nearest rival, former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko who had gained 13 percent of the vote. The country's election commission put nationwide turnout at around 60 percent.

The election came three months after pro-Moscow President Viktor Yanukovych was ousted from office after months of street protests and allegations of corruption. The ousted leader responded to the vote on Monday saying he "respects" the outcome but has doubts about its legitimacy.

"To have a legitimate president, it is necessary that the south and east of our country take part," Yanukovych said in a statement carried by Russian news agencies.

Separatists prevented about 20 percent of the eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regional polling stations from opening on election day.

Earlier on Monday armed separatists forced the closure of the main airport in Donetsk, identifying themselves as representatives of the "Donetsk People's Republic."

hc/msh (Reuters, AFP, AP, dpa)