Russia's lower house of parliament is ready to cooperate with the new assembly in Ukraine, its chairman said on Wednesday, although it will be dominated by pro-Western forces, Reuters reported. "We hope that the newly elected Verkhovna Rada will make its contribution to ending the civil war, resolving the crisis and de-escalating tensions," Russian news agencies Sergei Naryshkin, the speaker of the State Duma lower house, as saying. "Duma lawmakers are ready for any contacts, for the restoration of normal inter-parliamentary relations." Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said Moscow will recognise the outcome of the election even though voting did not take place in rebel-held areas in the east and forces traditionally loyal to Moscow performed poorly.
