OPINION: Will of People in Southeast Ukraine a Decisive Factor

"In the end, it is the will of people in southeastern Ukraine that will be a decisive factor,” Lozansky said. "Taking into account that there are huge numbers of miners and steelworkers I would not underestimate this will. I am surprised they did not appeal to the Western miners and steelworkers for support. One would assume that the left should support them all the way,” he added.

The self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk people’s republics held referendums on self-determination last Sunday with over 90 percent of voters supporting greater autonomy. Leaders in the republics said they would not take part in the upcoming May 25 presidential election.

"There is no way that the Western powers will recognize these referendums, moreover it does not look that they will advise the so-called Kiev government to seriously consider federalization of Ukraine,” Lozansky told RIA Novosti.

He also noted that Donetsk and Luhansk are likely to unite in one entity and would not abandon their aspirations for independence. "It looks like we are in for a long East-West confrontation with more sanctions and threats against Russia.”

"The whole point of the EU association idea and of bringing down Yanukovych when he refused to sign it was to have Ukraine firmly in the Western orbit and as far away from the Eurasian Union as possible,” Lozansky said, adding that Hillary Clinton once said that the US would try "to figure out effective ways to slow down or prevent” resurrection of the Soviet Union in remarks about the Eurasian Union.

Both republics declared themselves sovereign states on Monday. According to local officials in Donetsk and Luhansk, some 90 percent of voters in both regions supported the measure to secede from Ukraine and become independent sovereign states during referendums on Sunday.

Moscow said it respected the will of the people in Ukraine’s southeastern provinces and hoped the regime in Kiev would do the same. The US and EU denounced the results of the vote.

RIA Novosti