Polish PM Says Ukraine Alone Should Shape its Constitution

Third countries should stay out of the debate over Ukraine's future constitution, Poland's prime minister said Wednesday, amid Russia's insistence on solving the crisis through federalization.

"Ukraine's future constitution should, in our opinion, be adopted by Ukrainians alone. And the shape of Ukraine's constitution should not be a topic of discussion for third countries," Prime Minister Donald Tusk told reporters.

"We're convinced it's in Russia's interest to not only ease tension through peaceful means but also to bring about a resolution that will respect Ukraine's integrity and absolute autonomy and the sovereignty of its authorities, including in work on the constitution," he said during a press conference with his visiting Latvian counterpart.

Russia has argued that the only way to calm tensions would be for Kiev authorities to conduct constitutional reforms to give the country's Russian-speaking regions more independence through federalization.

The European Union, Russia, Ukraine and Washington are due to hold four-way talks next week on the crisis.

Ukraine will hold snap presidential elections on May 25 to vote on a successor to Viktor Yanukovych, who was ousted in February after months of protests ended in bloodshed.

Russian President Vladimir Putin then sent troops to Ukraine's Russian-speaking peninsula of Crimea and made it part of Russian territory after a referendum last month.