French President Francois Hollande said in a statement on Sunday that Ukraine's territorial integrity "must be respected" following a tumultuous week that saw a sudden change in leadership and new presidential elections called.
His appeal echoed those of the United States, Germany and the European Union amid fears that Ukraine could fracture along its Russo-Ukrainian linguistic and cultural faultline.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel spoke by phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin and "both agreed that Ukraine must quickly get a government capable of acting and its territorial integrity must be preserved," her spokesman Steffen Seibert said.
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