KIEV, Oct. 27 – The U.S. Department of State has said that the recent local elections in Ukraine reflect the will of Ukrainian people and Ukrainian democracy remains resilient.

"We congratulate the people of Ukraine for exercising their right to vote in yesterday's local elections. Ukraine's democracy remains resilient, despite facing difficult economic conditions and Russia's actions in Ukraine, including the occupation of Crimea. According to initial reports from international observers, these elections largely reflected the will of the Ukrainian people and generally respected democratic process," State Department spokesman John Kirby said in a statement which was published on the website of the U.S. Embassy in Kiev on Monday.