YALTA, Aug. 17 – Russian President Vladimir Putin has called Russians and Ukrainians a single people and expressed confidence that Ukraine will cope with its problems and get rid of "external management."

"In general I think that Russians and Ukrainians are a single people," he said at a meeting with representatives of ethnic public associations of Crimea.

"I am sure that despite all the difficulties of the current period of time the situation in Ukraine will straighten out, [and that] Ukraine will be developing positively and will depart from the shameful practice that we observe today when an entire enormous European nation is placed under external management with foreign citizens occupying key positions in the government and in the regions," he added.