Russian President Vladimir Putin and European Union (EU) leaders, who gathered in The Hague for a biannual summit, called Thursday for a "peaceful" and "constitutional" solution to the disputes of the Ukraine presidential elections.

Speaking at a press conference after the meeting, Putin hoped the disputes arising from the Ukrainian presidential elections should be resolved within constitutional and legal framework.

"They need to put law in place and implement that law," Putin said.

On Wednesday, Putin congratulated Ukrainian Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovich on his victory after he was declared winner of the presidential elections by the Central Election Commission.

In Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue said at a press conference on Thursday that China respects Ukrainian people's choice in their country's presidential election and sincerely wishes a stable Ukraine with a developed economy and wishes its people happy.

She said China has noticed that Ukraine's Central Election Commission has announced the result of the election, which is Ukraine's domestic affairs.

However, US Secretary of State Colin Powell declared he could not accept the election results that made pro-Russian Yanukovich president.

The Netherlands, which holds the rotating EU presidency, expressed "regret for the early announcement of the election result.

One day later, Ukraine's highest court blocked the inauguration of the country's president-elect Viktor Yanukovich as president.

In a ruling, the Supreme Court rejected official publication of the Nov. 21 election results in two government newspapers, after which Yanukovich would automatically receive right to an inauguration under the country's law.

On Thursday, the EU presidency announced an envoy had been sent to Ukraine to discuss with various sides, hoping that a solution should be found within "legal framework" and "shortcomings" in the election procedures should be investigated.

EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana also declared that he will visit Ukraine on Friday for urgent talks with the main figures in the country's presidential election crisis.

Solana is expected to meet with Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma, Yanukovich and opposition candidate Viktor Yushchenko, in efforts to discuss "a negotiated diplomatic solution" to the dispute over the results of last Sunday's presidential run-off.

Also on Thursday, the Polish government said in a statement that Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski, at the invitation of Kuchma and Yushchenko, will visit Kiev, Ukraine's capital, on Friday in efforts to mediate the election dispute.

According to the statement, Kwasniewski will meet with Kuchma and Yushchenko in Kiev and try to help the both sides to reach consensus. Earlier, Kwasniewski said that he did not trust the results of the elections.

Also on Thursday, the office of Lithuanian President Valdas Adamkus said that outgoing Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma had asked him and Kwasnieski "to mediate the political conflict."

Lech Walesa, former Polish president, expressed his belief Thursday that a compromise was possible in the disputes.

Former Czech president Vaclav Havel also urged the Ukrainian opposition not to be provoked into violence.

(Xinhua News Agency November 27, 2004)