U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Geoffrey Pyatt has stressed the importance of holding presidential elections in Ukraine in May 2014 in order to understand what is happening in the country.

He said in an interview with Russia's Dozhd television channel on Thursday that he was confident the elections would be held and that it was very important for everyone to see transparent and fair elections.

While commenting on the beginning of the election campaign, Pyatt said that this was a real democratic process, which involved many candidates, including those candidates whose electoral base is in eastern Ukraine.

In his opinion, Ukraine should continue strengthening national identity that should be a priority for the next president.

He said that in the long term the United States and Russia were interested in Ukraine being a stable, united country, which maintains healthy, strong economic and political relations with all its neighbors.