Russia ready for dialogue with new Ukrainian parliament

MOSCOW

Russia is ready to have a dialogue with the newly elected Ukrainian parliament, Valentina Matviyenko, the head of Russia's Federation Council, said on Thursday.

"We are ready to have a dialogue with the parliament, which has been trusted by the people. And we hope that such a dialogue is now possible, at least on those issues where we can form a positive agenda," she said.

But Matviyenko claimed that the elections early this month were not in compliance with international law, as some 1 million people in eastern Ukraine were not able to cast votes.

Ukraine held parliamentary elections on July 21 after Volodymyr Zelensky, formerly a popular comedian, dissolved the parliament after taking office in May.

Voter turnout was one of the lowest in history, only 49.84%.

The elections did not take place in Crimea, a peninsula on the northern Black Sea coast illegally annexed by Russia in 2014, and in eastern Ukraine, which is currently under control of pro-Russian rebels.