MOSCOW, June 25. /ITAR-TASS/. Speaker of Russia’s Federation Council upper house of parliament Valentina Matviyenko warned against statements which may hamper talks on Ukraine. “Now it is needed to refrain from any statements which would hamper peace talks,” she told reporters on Wednesday.

Valentina Matviyenko has confirmed the commitment to continuing a dialogue with Ukraine’s parliament.

“On Tuesday I had a constructive talk with (Ukrainian parliament-appointed speaker Oleksandr) Turchynov. He called for ‘continuing the dialogue’,” Matviyenko said on Wednesday.

“There are many problems in our relations due to be discussed,” she said.

“We’ll search for a new format to develop cooperation,” Matviyenko said.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said at a meeting with representatives of local self-government bodies and other state authorities earlier in the day that Ukraine sought to establish peace in the east of the country, but “not at any cost and in any conditions.” He noted that Ukraine “will not hesitate to give a worthy rebuff to an armed aggressor who encroaches on unity and integrity of our state.”

 

Russia reserves the right to control the implementation of the obligations on a ceasefire in Ukraine

After the Russian Federation Council revoked its resolution of March 1, 2014, which authorized the use of the Russian armed forces on the territory of Ukraine, Russia reserves the right to control the implementation of the obligations on a ceasefire in Ukraine, said senator of the Russian upper house Viktor Ozerov, who chairs the upper house committee on security and defense, at the upper house on Wednesday .

"The situation in Ukraine is far from being stabilized, but a launched process of negotiations enabled the Russian president to ask the upper house to revoke the previous resolution as an act of goodwill, a wish to promote intensification of the process of negotiations and declare groundless the arguments, given by some negotiators who have attempted to use our resolution for speculative purposes," Ozerov said.

"The members of the Federation Council's committee on defense and security unconditionally assumed that Russia, personified by its president and parliament, reserves the right to monitor the situation in Ukraine and control the implementation of the obligations on a ceasefire, humanitarian corridors and assistance.

But, should the president need measures of a military character, the Federation Council committee on security and defense is ready jointly with the senators to urgently consider the president' s proposals to this effect, but I hope that will be unnecessary ", Ozerov said.