Ukrainian insurgents say open to political settlement of crisis

KIEV - The leadership of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DNR) in eastern Ukraine said Wednesday they are open to a political solution to the conflict with government troops.

"If the Ukrainian side follows through its ceasefire commitment, we are ready for the settlement of the crisis through political means," Miroslav Rudenko, the self-styled insurgent leader of the DNR, was quoted by the Interfax news agency as saying.

Rudenko welcomed the consultations between Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and Russian President Vladimir Putin on the steps to realize a lasting ceasefire in restive Ukrainian regions.

"Consultations are held in order to switch the process from the military track to the political one," Rudenko said.

Armed activists in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk and Lugansk regions established the people's republic in early April and held referendums on their future status on May 11.

Organizers of the referendums said an overwhelming majority of the voters favored their regions' independence.

Kiev has rejected the referendums as illegal and unconstitutional and launched a military operation against the insurgents.