KIEV, Sept. 25 - Ukraine and the rest of the world will not recognize local elections planned by pro-Russian separatists next month, President Petro Poroshenko said on Thursday, adding that he hoped Russia would follow the same course, Reuters reported.

Ukraine has proposed that local elections be held, under Kiev's direction, in December in areas of eastern Ukraine where separatists have set up 'people's republics', but the rebels say they want to hold their own elections in early November without intervention from Kiev.