Russia expects Ukraine to agree to take part in the work of an inter-parliamentary contact group under the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) aegis at a February session of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly (OSCE PA) in Vienna, Alexei Pushkov, the head of the Russian delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), told journalists on Wednesday.

"We hope Ukraine will consent to participation in this group at the session in Vienna," Pushkov told journalists on Wednesday.

Pushkov insisted that Russia remains open to contacts and pointed out that State Duma Chairman Sergei Naryshkin had repeatedly made it clear that Russia was ready to work together with Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada representatives. "However, Russia hasn't yet received any positive reply from the Ukrainian parliament," he said.

"In other words, we are waiting for a reply from the Ukrainian side," Pushkov said.

The contact group would include representatives from Germany, France, and other European states, which should facilitate contacts between its Russian and Ukrainian members, he said.

"We thought this could a reasonable method of resuming an inter-parliamentary dialogue. Therefore, we would really like the Ukrainian side - where elections have already been held and which has a new Verkhovna Rada chairman - to consider the possibility of starting work with such a group at the February session of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly in Vienna," Pushkov said.