华盛顿 — 对于俄罗斯总统普京支持乌克兰即将举行的总统大选，世界各国表示欢迎,但同时也表达了怀疑。普京星期三还呼吁乌克兰东部亲俄武装推迟原定近几天内就独立问题举行的全民公投。他说，俄罗斯部队已经按照美国和欧盟的要求，撤离了俄乌边界。
President Putin said Wednesday the vote, set by Kyiv for May 25, is a step in the right direction, but that his support is limited.
普京总统星期三表示，基辅定于5月25日举行选举，是朝着正确方向迈出的一步，但是他的支持是有限度的。
"I want to emphasize that the presidential election to be held in Kyiv is going in the right direction, but it will not solve anything if all Ukrainian citizens do not understand how their rights will be guaranteed after the presidential election,” said Putin.
他说:“我想强调的是，基辅即将举行的总统选举是朝着正确的方向在走，但是如果全体乌克兰公民在总统选举之后依然不知道他们的权利如何得到保障的话，选举就不会解决所有的问题。”
Putin made his remarks during a visit by an OSCE representative in Moscow, a day after the top EU and U.S. diplomats threatened tougher sanctions if Russia disrupts the Ukrainian elections.
普京是在莫斯科会晤一名欧安组织代表的时候发表上述讲话的。此前一天，欧盟和美国高级外交人员曾经威胁说，如果俄罗斯扰乱乌克兰选举,就将对俄罗斯实施更严厉的制裁。
In Washington, analyst Stephen Blank said it is clear that two previous rounds of sanctions imposed on Moscow have begun to hurt.
在华盛顿，分析师布兰克表示，很明显，之前对莫斯科实施的两轮制裁开始伤及俄罗斯。
"So if there were going to be more sanctions -- and they'll be even more severe -- against the Russian banking, energy industries and the Russian economy, that's not something he wanted to risk," said Blank.
他说：“如果针对俄罗斯的银行业、能源工业和经济实施更多的制裁，而且这些制裁更加严厉，那不是他希望冒险的事情。”
Blank said Russia will covertly continue to try to destabilize Ukraine before, during and after the elections, because it does not want an independent, pro-western Ukraine near its borders.
布兰克表示，在乌克兰的大选之前、期间以及之后，俄罗斯都将继续暗中试图在乌克兰制造不稳定。因为它不希望在自己边界附近存在一个独立、亲西方的乌克兰。
Separatist leaders in Ukraine's Donetsk region said the referendum will take place as planned, despite Putin's advice, if Kyiv does not fulfill their demands.
乌克兰顿涅茨克地区的分离主义领导人表示，虽然普京发出了呼吁，但是如果基辅方面不满足他们的要求，全民公决将如期举行。
"The troops must return to their bases, all illegal armed units created after February 22, including Internal Ministry's and National Guard's special units must disarm. Only after that can we talk about postponement of the referendum," said Alexander Kofman, a separatist leader.
他说：“乌克兰部队必须返回基地，今年2月22日之后组建的所有非法武装部门，其中包括内政部和国民警卫队的特战单位必须解散。只有在这些条件满足之后，我们才能够谈推迟全民公决的问题。”
Kyiv has sent military forces to retake occupied government buildings in Donetsk, Slovyansk, Luhansk and other areas of eastern Ukraine. Acting Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk said that operation will continue, along with the efforts to find a political solution to the crisis.
基辅已经向顿涅茨克、斯拉维扬斯克、卢甘斯克以及乌克兰东部的其它地区派兵，准备重新夺回那些地区被占的政府建筑。乌克兰代总理亚采纽克表示，在进行政治解决这场危机的同时，这些行动将持续进行。
"Those who have weapons and are shooting must surrender their weapons and take the punishment. Those who will surrender their weapons willingly and leave buildings, if they didn't do serious crimes will be pardoned," said Yatsenyuk.
他说：“那些拥有武器而且正在战斗的人必须缴械并受到惩处。那些没有严重犯罪、而且自愿缴械并离开政府建筑的人，将被赦免。”
Moscow has denied accusations that it is arming the separatists who have so far largely held their positions. Blank said that even if Russia has withdrawn its forces from the border, they can easily be mobilized to march into Ukraine if Moscow determines the situation is right.
莫斯科否认了正在武装乌克兰分离分子的指称。这些分离分子大部分迄今仍然在坚守被占建筑物。分析人士布兰克表示，即使俄罗斯从俄乌边界撤军，如果莫斯科觉得时机成熟，仍然可以很容易地再次集结军队入侵乌克兰。 (51VOA.COM对本文翻译保留全部权利，未经授权请勿转载，违者必究！)