Putin says Russia will respect results of Ukraine's presidential election

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Saturday that a new Cold War with the West over Ukraine was unlikely.
  
East-West relations have reached their lowest level since the end of the Cold War two decades ago with a fall of the Soviet Union, over the crisis in Ukraine.
  
Putin also told a group of foreign journalists on the sidelines of the St Petersburg International Economic Forum that Russia takes account of other countries' interests, and that it cannot agree to not being treated equally.

Putin said that sanctions imposed on Russia over its involvement in Ukraine were counterproductive and did not correspond to international law.
  
Putin, criticizing the West, said support for an "unconstitutional coup" interrupted a constructive dialogue over Ukraine.
  
He said that those who instigated the "coup" in Ukraine, should have thought more carefully about the consequences of their actions.

Earlier, Putin stressed that Russia will respect the choice of the Ukrainian people in Sunday's presidential election and Moscow will work with the country's new authorities.
  

On another note, Putin said that Ukraine had no right to demand cuts in the price it pays for natural gas supplies from Russia and said the price dispute should be solved through dialogue and not ultimatums.
 
"We are ready for a constructive dialogue, but it should not be carried out though baseless demands and ultimatums, but rather on the basis of civilized market cooperation," Putin added.