Russian President Vladimir Putin said Saturday he hoped relations with the West will return to normal and that he saw no obstacles to improving ties damaged by the unrest in Ukraine, according to dpa. The government in Kiev and Western nations have repeatedly accused Russia of destabilizing Ukraine and instigating separatism in the country's east. Asked whether relations between Moscow and the West would return to normal by the end of the year, he said: "This does not depend on us. Or not on us only. This depends on our counterparts," the Itar-Tass news agency reported. "I believe there is nothing preventing us from improving relations and from normal cooperation," Putin said in the interview with state television. Russia, the United States, Ukraine and the European Union agreed Thursday to a de-escalation deal under which pro-Russian separatists in the east must disarm and vacate occupied public buildings and squares. But the pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine vowed Friday to defy the deal until the government in Kiev agrees to conditions, including withdrawing troops. Meanwhile, former prime minister and presidential candidate Yulia Tymoshenko on Saturday urged Ukrainians from all sides to participate in round table talks aimed at ending the crisis and averting the break up of the country. The mooted talks would be in the industrial city of Donetsk, where pro-Russian forces have been rallying for the region to split from Ukraine. Tymoshenko's office urged representatives from all parts of Ukraine to attend the talks, for which no date has been set. It said she was already in Donetsk. Russia has been demanding an inter-Ukrainian dialogue for weeks, even as it insists it is not behind the separatist movements. Ukrainian anti-terrorist units have broken off their attempts to clear the protesters for the Easter weekend, in hopes of reducing tensions. Protesters continue to maintain camps in four cities in the Donetsk region. They demand a new federal system with broad autonomy for eastern regions.
