Outgoing Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma arrived in Moscow on Thursday for talks with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on the political crisis sparked by last month's disputed presidential election.

Putin's presidential press secretary Alexei Gromov said earlier the two leaders will hold a brief working meeting before Kuchma returns to Ukraine later in the day.

Kuchma is set to meet with Ukraine's presidential rivals -- Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovich and opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko in Kiev, according to Interfax news agency.

Kuchma, who supported the pro-Russian Yanukovich, proposed holding an entirely new presidential election, not just a re-run of the disputed second round.

Putin sent a congratulatory message to Yanukovich on his election and repeatedly accused the West of stoking tension in the former Soviet republic.

Though declared winner of the Nov. 21 vote, Yanukovich cannot be inaugurated until the Supreme Court rules on an opposition demand that the election result be invalidated.

Source: Xinhua