With Ukrainian voters set to return to the polls, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov issued a pointed statement on 25 December 2004 questioning why American officials felt entitled to comment on elections in sovereign countries. Lavrov said such matters were internal affairs, governed by each country's own legal processes.
The election was a rerun of a 21 November presidential runoff between pro-Western candidate Viktor Yushchenko and pro-Moscow Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovich. Ukraine's Supreme Court had nullified that contest after finding widespread fraud, ordering a fresh vote for 26 December.
President Vladimir Putin framed the dispute more broadly, contrasting Western criticism of the Ukrainian process with Western support for elections planned in occupied Iraq. Moscow had openly backed Yanukovich throughout the campaign, while Washington denied supporting any single candidate, saying its only interest was in a free and fair process.
More than 12,000 international monitors were on the ground ahead of Sunday's poll. Observers expected Yushchenko to win.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this AFP wire report, first published in December 2004, in its own words.