Russia says ready for talks with Ukraine when there are no artillery fires

MOSCOW (Xinhua) - Russia is ready for talks with Ukraine only when there are no artillery fires in the country, said Valentina Matviyenko, head of the Russian parliament's upper house Saturday.

"We're ready for talks," Matviyenko said, "we'll hold negotiations and we'll meet."

Stressing "artillery fire is unacceptable for such meetings and talks," Matviyenko insisted that Ukraine "terminate the punitive operation."

Petro Poroshenko was sworn in Saturday as the fifth Ukrainian president at an inauguration ceremony held in Kiev, the Ukrainian capital.

Matviyenko also said that Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko should make it clear that his country cannot overcome the crisis without Russia.

"It is impossible to resolve the political and economic crisis in Ukraine without Russia," she said.

"The presidential elections in Ukraine don't correspond to international standards in full. There are certain problems," Matviyenko said, "but we respect the Ukrainian people's choice."

The Ukrainian government has launched an "anti-terror" operation since April against insurgents in eastern Ukraine, accusing Russia of fomenting the unrest in the country.

The death toll of the separatist uprising has climbed to 181, plus some 300 injuries, according to the latest statistics released Tuesday.