Vladimir Putin says Russia will recognise the outcome of Ukraine's presidential vote.
The Russian president said Moscow will "respect the choice of the Ukrainian people", and added that Russia wants peace and order to be restored in Ukraine after the election, set for Sunday.
He added that Russia will be ready to work with the new leadership and voiced hope that Ukraine's new leader will end military actions in eastern Ukraine.
But he blamed the West for plunging Ukraine into what he described as "chaos and a full-scale civil war".
Speaking at an investment forum in St Petersburg, he blamed the West for encouraging a "coup" in Ukraine by encouraging massive protests that chased pro-Russian president Viktor Yanukovych from power in February.
Earlier Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov urged the West to reach a settlement based on mutual interests.
"If we sincerely want to help the Ukrainian people overcome this crisis, it's necessary to abandon the notorious zero-sum games, stop encouraging xenophobic and neo-Nazi sentiments and get rid of dangerous megalomania," he said at a security conference in Moscow organised by the Defence Ministry.
Speaking at the same conference, the head of the Russian general staff, General Valery Gerasimov, criticised the Ukrainian authorities for using artillery and other heavy weapons against civilians, and claimed radical paramilitary forces and private security companies were spearheading the offensive.
Russia annexed Ukraine's region of Crimea in March, triggering the worst crisis in relations with the West since the Cold War. Pro-Russian insurgents have also seized government buildings in eastern Ukraine and fought troops for more than a month.
Fighting in eastern Ukraine, where pro-Russia insurgents raided a military checkpoint and killed 16 soldiers in the deadliest attack yet, has cast a shadow over the presidential vote.
Ukraine's interim government and the West hope the vote will help stabilise the country, but the authorities in Kiev acknowledged it will be impossible to hold the vote in some areas in the east, where insurgents have declared independence and pledged to derail the vote. Election workers and activists have reported threats and interference from gunmen.
Many in the east resent the government in Kiev, seeing it as a group of nationalists bent on repressing Russian speakers in the east. But many in the rebellious regions have grown increasingly exasperated with the insurgents, whom they blame for putting civilians in the crossfire.
The village of Semenovka on the outskirts of Slovyansk, a city which has been the epicentre of clashes for weeks, has seen continuous shelling by Ukrainian forces, who have retaliated to the rebel fire.
Ukraine's president urged all voters to take part in Sunday's presidential election to "cement the foundation of our nation".
In a live televised address, acting president Oleksandr Turchynov, who is not running in the poll, emphasised the importance of the vote to choose a new leader for Ukraine.
"Today, we are building a new European country the foundation of which was laid by millions of Ukrainians who proved that they are capable of defending their own choice and their country," Mr Turchynov said. "We will never allow anyone to rob us of our freedom and independence, turn our Ukraine into a part of the post-Soviet empire."
Twenty-one candidates are competing to become Ukraine's next leader, with polls showing billionaire sweet-maker Petro Poroshenko with a commanding lead but falling short of the absolute majority needed to win in the first round. His nearest challenger is Yulia Tymoshenko, the divisive former prime minister who is trailing by a significant margin.
If no one wins in the first round, a run-off will be held on June 15. Most polls predict Mr Poroshenko's victory in that contest.