Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov expressed...

Russia was accused of interfering in the 2004 election, openly supporting Yanukovych against Viktor Yushchenko, who won after the so-called orange revolution forced a rerun of the second round, and was noticeably quiet in the run-up to Sunday’s vote.

Lavrov refrained from assessing the first round, saying the country’s Central Election Commission and the multitude of international observers would do so better.

Analysts expect whoever wins the second round will take a pragmatic view of relations with Russia, ending the ideological confrontations of Yushchenko’s presidency but consistently pursuing Ukraine’s national interests.

MOSCOW, January 19 (RIA Novosti)