Election turns war-torn Ukraine toward Europe – Part 1

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• JUDY WOODRUFF:

  And now to the crisis in Ukraine, where citizens sent a clear message to Russian President Vladimir Putin this weekend.

  Chief foreign affairs correspondent Margaret Warner reports.

• MARGARET WARNER:

  Voters in war-torn Ukraine made a decisive turn towards Europe and away from Russia with Sunday's parliamentary elections.

  President Petro Poroshenko, elected in May, hailed the outcome today.

• PRESIDENT PETRO POROSHENKO, Ukraine:

  I think that this election was another test Ukraine successfully passed for the democracy, for the openness, for the freedom.

• MARGARET WARNER:

  With more than 60 percent of votes tallied, the big winners were the two main pro-Western parties: Poroshenko's bloc and the popular Front party of his governing ally, Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk.

• PRIME MINISTER ARSENIY YATSENYUK, Ukraine (through interpreter):

  The basis of the new coalition is the association agreement with the European Union. And this is must be the basis for the coalition agreement.

• MARGARET WARNER:

  Such an agreement to integrate Ukraine economically with Europe was rejected last November by pro-Moscow President Viktor Yanukovych. The uprising that followed ended with him fleeing. After Poroshenko was elected, he signed the pact.

  Still, Ukraine remains divided. There was no voting in Russian-annexed Crimea and it was light to nonexistent across parts of Donetsk and Luhansk, the two eastern provinces where pro-Russian separatists hold sway.

• WOMAN (through interpreter):

  We, the people of Donetsk, we have already made our choice, and I think our cause is right and we will win.

• MARGARET WARNER:

  Indeed, heavy fighting in the east persists, despite a cease-fire declared six weeks ago. Two more Ukrainian soldiers died Sunday, adding to the nearly 4,000 people killed since April, and leaving many with little hope.

• MAN (through interpreter):

  I think nothing will change in the east of the country after these elections. Everything depends on Putin's desires.

• MARGARET WARNER:

  Officials in Moscow said today they will recognize the results of yesterday's election. But there will be separate elections this weekend run by the rebels, who've declared themselves independent of Ukraine.