KIEV, Ukraine, Aug. 7 (UPI) -- Ukraine's former Prime Minister Mykola Azarov presented the newly-formed "Committee for the Salvation of Ukraine" this week at a press conference in Moscow. Its mission is to restore peace within the country through direct talks with pro-Kremlin rebels fighting Kiev forces in the volatile eastern region of the country.
"We ask all citizens, political parties, labor unions and social movements to unite and restore order in our home by joint efforts," Azarov told reporters, as reported by Russia Today.
The 67-year-old served as prime minister under the pro-Kremlin President Viktor Yanukovych between 2010 to 2014. He said that the newly-established committee has yet to name all of the members since they "live and work in Ukraine, and this is very dangerous. [The] time will come when we introduce them, first of all to the Ukrainian people. I can assure that they are patriot who have no ties... with current authorities, nor with former authorities," he said.
The committee reportedly is calling for the resignation of Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk, and has urged its citizens to demand snap presidential elections. He claims the majority of Ukrainians do not trust the current government.
"If you summon the ratings of the current politicians including the ruling coalition -- Poroshenko , Yatsenyuk, Tymoshenko, Lyashko and so on -- they have little more than 20 percent all together. Which means that 80 percent of Ukrainians do not trust the current regime," he added.
Volodymyr Oliynyk, a Verkhovna Rada MP of previous convocations, should be nominated for the post of the country's president, as reported by Kiev Post.
Ukraine subpoenaed former President Yanukovych to testify in a corruption investigation.
