UKRAINE’S new president Petro Poroshenko was inaugurated yesterday and sent out a plea for dialogue with the country’s east — but only on his terms.

The billionaire oligarch’s inaugural address in parliament gave little sign of any real desire for a resolution to the conflict.

He called for peace talks but said he wouldn’t talk with rebels, who he called “gangsters and killers.”

Mr Poroshenko promised “I will bring you peace,” but did not indicate whether Kiev’s forces would scale back the military action in the east, which has killed hundreds of rebels and civilians, and he made no mention of restricting the operations of fascist militias.

He also took an entirely intransigent line on Crimea’s admission to the Russian Federation this spring, insisting that the Black Sea peninsula “was, is and will be Ukrainian.”

He didn’t say how Ukraine would regain control of Crimea, however.

Rebel leaders in the east dismissed Mr Poroshenko’s speech.

Donetsk People’s Republic leader Denis Pushilin said: “At the moment it’s impossible for him to come to Donetsk for talks. Perhaps with security, a company, so people won’t tear him to pieces.”

Mr Poroshenko offered amnesty to rebels who “don’t have blood on their hands.”

“I don’t believe it,” said Valery Bolotov, the rebel leader in the Lugansk region.

Rebels in both Lugansk and Donetsk have declared their regions independent.

Russian ambassador Mikhail Zurabov, who represented Moscow at the inauguration, said Mr Poroshenko’s statements “sounded reassuring,” but warned that “for us the principal thing is to stop the military operation.”

Mr Poroshenko called for early regional elections in the east and promised to devolve powers to regional governments.

But he insisted that Ukrainian would remain the sole state language of the country, although he promised “new opportunities for the Russian language.”

He also said he wanted to sign the economic portion of the EU “association agreement” in the near future — directing the plea straight to EU guests at the inauguration.

Meanwhile the Donetsk People’s Republic said one of Mr Pushilin’s aides had been fatally shot in Donetsk city.