Russia's State Duma ready to have dialog with Ukraine's Verkhovna Rada

Russia's State Duma is ready for dialog with Ukraine's Verkhovna Rada on different topics, including on the coming presidential elections in Ukraine, member of State Duma committee on security and fight against corruption, Nikolai Kovalyov, of the United Russia faction said.

"When 70 people write a statement in Rada on leaving the Party of Regions virtually with a gun to their head, of course, this situation is not simple, however, the Ukrainian Rada is acting. As of today this is probably one of the few legitimate, let it even be partially legitimate bodies in Ukraine," Kovalyov told reporters on Monday following a meeting between the State Duma speaker and chairperson of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Parliamentary Assembly.

"Of course, we will work with the Verkhovna Rada, meet and try to bring together stances on different issues, of course, the first of them are the elections planned to be held on May 25," Kovalyov said.

Russian deputies do not have any issues in contacts, meetings and conversations with Rada deputies, Kovalyov said.

"I hope that these steps, which we call parliamentary diplomacy, will contribute to resolving the situation," he said.