Ukraine should itself decide when to hold elections - EU spokesperson

BRUSSELS. Aug 20 (Interfax) - The European Union is ready to support possible elections in Ukraine, but not to decide when to hold them, EU diplomacy chief Kaja Kallas' spokesperson Anitta Hipper said.

"When it comes to elections, it is for Ukraine to decide when to do so in full respect of its legal framework, and the EU stands ready to support Ukraine throughout the electoral process, including in meeting the relevant democratic standards and expectations," Hipper told a briefing in Brussels on Thursday when asked to comment on former Ukrainian defense minister Mikhail Fyodorov's August 18 video appeal for elections while hostilities are ongoing.

"It is not for us to say. There is a constitutional framework, and it is for Ukraine to decide, so if it decides so," Hipper said in reply to an additional question on the topic.