Russia Open to Talks with Ukraine President-Elect

Voters in Ukraine went to the polls over the weekend to elect their next president. Exit polls are showing 48-year-old businessman Petro Poroshenko has been elected.

Poroshenko supports strong ties with Europe, but he also wants to ease tensions with Russia.

The election comes as Ukraine remains on edge.

In eastern parts of the country, pro-Russian groups are continuing their fight against the government in Kiev, and that's causing some Ukrainians to fight back.

"Our revolution is not end [finished]. Now we must fight with Russian Federation [pro-Russian militia]. After that we begin the next revolution to clear our government," Azov Battalion Platoon Commander Dmitry Linko said. "So most of these people not believe for [in] politicals [politics] because politicals make this war."

This weekend's presidential vote was a special election called by the Ukrainian parliament. It comes after former President Victor Yanukovych fled the country following attempts to forcefully suppress civil unrest.

Meanwhile, Russia says it's ready to engage in dialog with the newly elected Ukrainian president.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov says his country views the Ukrainian vote as a positive move and Russia is ready to talk, but without any kind of mediation by the United States or the European Union.

Lavrov says Russia has been paying attention to statements Poroshenko, Ukraine's likely new president, has said about normalizing ties with Russia and opening greater dialogue with pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine.