Tymoshenko: incumbent Ukrainian authorities 'absolutely legitimate'

Batkivschyna Party leader, former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko says the incumbent Ukrainian authorities are absolutely legitimate and the opinion of Russian President Vladimir Putin that Ukraine has seen an anti-constitutional coup is subjective, the Batkivschyna Web site said.

This is exclusively his subjective opinion, Tymoshenko told BBC. Ukraine has absolutely legitimate authorities; these authorities were instated by the will of the people; these authorities are recognized by the entire democratic world and they are working and stabilizing Ukraine after the crisis and the devastation left behind by the dictatorship, she said.

Putin told reporters on Tuesday that Ukraine had seen an anti-constitutional coup. "The opinion is about what has happened in Kyiv and in Ukraine as a whole. There can be only one opinion - this is an anti-constitutional coup and power grab," Putin replied to an Interfax question.