German Chancellor Angela Merkel expects that Russia will recognize the assessment by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) of the results of the presidential elections in Ukraine on 25 May.

She said this in an interview with the German newspaper Saarbruecker Zeitung.

"I expect that Russia will respect without doubt the objective assessment by the OSCE, because it belongs to this organization," Merkel said.

She recalled that this week in a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin she stressed the importance of the Ukrainian elections. According to her, it is annoying that Russia refused to participate in the OSCE observation mission.

The head of German government once again stressed the right of Ukrainians to choose their way. "It seems that the Russian leadership is difficult to accept that a sovereign Ukraine follows its own path," the Chancellor added.