Putin slams Kiev for stoking political confrontation

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday criticized the Ukrainian authorities for failing to observe the new Minsk agreement reached early this year, saying Kiev is introducing a "new edition of political confrontation" in the conflict-torn country.

"Amendments to the constitution of Ukraine ... must be implemented through talks and dialogue, in coordination with representatives of Donbass, the territories of the unrecognized republics," Putin told reporters at the ongoing Eastern Economic Forum held Russia's Far East city of Vladivostok.

"Unfortunately, today the authorities in Kiev are doing nothing of this kind and there is no coordination on the issue," he added.

"What we are witnessing today is a new edition of political confrontation in Ukraine, and changes to the constitution are used only as a pretext to intensify the political struggle for power," Putin said.

In February, leaders of Germany, France, Ukraine and Russia clinched a package of measures, which promised to give greater autonomy to separatist-held areas in Donbass in eastern Ukraine.

The president reminded that under the agreement, the new law on local elections should have been coordinated with Donbass, but it did not happen.

Local elections in Ukraine have been set for Oct. 25, but the Ukrainian government said they cannot take place in Donbass for security reasons. In response, the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Lugansk people's republics have scheduled their own elections for October and November. Endi