Kiev, Ukraine (CNN) -- Boxer-turned-politician
Vitali Klitschko on Saturday pulled out of the race for Ukraine's president, throwing
his weight instead behind a billionaire businessman.
Klitschko, one of the most familiar faces of the opposition
during the anti-government protests that ousted pro-Moscow President Viktor
Yanukovych last month, also told members of his UDAR party that Ukraine should
aim to join the European Union fully.
"We need to have a joint democratic nominee. It has to
be a candidate with the highest chances of winning. Today, I believe such a
candidate is Petro Poroshenko," he told a party convention in Kiev,
referring to the billionaire businessman.
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| Ukraine's Vitali Klitschko won't run for president, but says he hopes to be the mayor of Kiev |
"Our goal is full membership of
Ukraine in the EU."
Klitschko said that instead he would run for mayor of Kiev. "All reforms start in Kiev," he said.
Klitschko's withdrawal from the presidential race would set
up a battle between confectionary businessman Poroshenko and Ukraine's former
prime minister, Yulia Tymoshenko, in the May 25 elections.
Russian forces
Klitschko's announcement came as Russia reiterated it had no
intention of ordering its armed forces to cross over the Ukrainian border.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov made the comments to
Russian state television, according to local media reports.
Last week, Moscow's ambassador to the EU, Vladimir Chizhov,
said nobody has anything to fear from Russia and that the country does not have
any "expansionist views."
Kiev and Western officials have voiced alarm about Russia's
reported military buildup on Ukraine's eastern border -- following Moscow's
annexation of Crimea this month -- which has raised fears of further
incursions.
Russia may have 40,000 troops near its border with Ukraine,
two U.S. officials told CNN on Thursday. The officials said that this estimate
was largely based on satellite imagery and that a firm number is difficult to
assess.
However, a spokesman for Ukraine's Council of National
Security and Defense, Yarema Dukh, told CNN his government estimates 88,000
Russian troops are at the Ukrainian border. U.S. officials said they believe
the higher estimates may reflect Russian troops on alert farther to the east.
Russia has said its troops are carrying out snap military
exercises in the region.
Putin-Obama phone call
Russian President Vladimir Putin phoned President Barack
Obama on Friday to discuss the tenuous situation in Ukraine -- the latest
exchange between two leaders who have been at loggerheads over the crisis and
what should happen next.
According to the White House, Putin called to talk about an
American proposal "for a diplomatic resolution to the crisis," and
the two presidents agreed their respective top diplomats "would meet to
discuss next steps."
The back-and-forth also gave Obama the opportunity to
express, as he's done repeatedly in recent weeks, his opposition to what he
described as Russia's taking over of Crimea, which just a few weeks ago was
part of Ukraine.
