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Upper house speaker calls for giving Zelensky time to define his Russia policy

Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matviyenko noted that Ukraine’s parliamentary election campaign has kicked off, influencing the steps of Zelensky and his team

MOSCOW, June 7. /TASS/. Russian Federation Council (upper house) Speaker Valentina Matviyenko has warned against dramatizing the situation with new Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky, calling for giving him an opportunity to confirm his readiness for dialogue with Russia.

"It seems to me that the new president [of Ukraine] should be given time to sort out the situation," Matviyenko told Rossiya-1 TV channel. According to Matviyenko, before assuming his post, Zelensky should have carefully studied the Minsk agreements and made the first steps, which no one but Ukraine can do, namely to withdraw forces and order an immediate ceasefire honored by Ukraine’s Armed Forces.

Then in case of the shellings carried out by the other party, Ukraine would have a moral right to say that this is the ceasefire violation, she explained, stressing that "so far we haven’t seen such decisive steps."

The upper house speaker noted that Ukraine’s parliamentary election campaign has kicked off, influencing the steps of Zelensky and his team. The new president seeks to secure a greater support of citizens, and he is trying to flirt with all Ukrainian political forces, including outcasts, in order to please everyone, she said.

"In my opinion this policy is erroneous and wrong, and it does not yield any results," Matviyenko stressed. At the same time, she asked to give Zelensky time to create his team.

"I would not dramatize the situation, I believe we should live calmly without emotions…Let’s give the new president a chance to make up his mind and define his position and show his readiness for dialogue with Russia," she said.

Russia is ready for such a dialogue with Ukraine, she also confirmed.