RUSSIAN Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said today that he was open to further international talks on Ukraine, provided representatives from the east and south of the country were involved.

“Those who protest want their voices heard. They want to have an equal voice when it comes to deciding the fate of their own country,” he said.

Mr Lavrov also demanded that Ukrainian government troops end armed assaults on rebel strongholds, as pro-Kiev forces tightened their stranglehold on the eastern city of Sloviansk.

He clashed with British Foreign Secretary William Hague who accused Russia of being “clearly intent on preventing or disrupting” elections set for May 25.

“Scheduling elections in times when the army is used against parts of the population is not conventional,” Mr Lavrov said. “This is not Afghanistan.”