DHAKA: Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said on Monday that Moscow was willing to talk with Ukraine’s newly elected president Petro Poroshenko.

‘We are ready for dialogue with Kiev’s representatives, with Petro Poroshenko,’ Lavrov said at a joint press conference with his South Sudanese counterpart Barnaba Marial Benjamin.

‘We are ready for pragmatic dialogue, on an equal footing, based on respect for all agreements, in particular in the commercial, economic and gas spheres,’ he said, reports The Straits Times.

‘As the president (Vladimir Putin) has said, we respect the result of the choice of the Ukrainian people.’

BDST: 1651 HRS, MAY 26, 2014