Calls are growing for last Sunday's disputed presidential elections in Ukraine to be cancelled and re-run.

EU officials have backed opposition candidate Viktor Yushchenko's demand for a new run-off as the "ideal outcome" of the current deadlock.

And Russia, which had previously accepted the result, said on Saturday it would regard a new vote favourably.

Parliament has refused to recognise the official declaration of Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych as the winner.

In a non-binding resolution on Saturday, MPs declared the poll invalid, saying the result was "at odds with the will of the people".

The opposition is alleging massive fraud.

Supporters of Mr Yushchenko have been demonstrating all week in Kiev's main Independence Square, and on Saturday Ukrainian TV said 800,000 people were out on the capital's streets.

'Ideal outcome'

Parliament cannot overturn the result, but its views may carry weight with the supreme court, which meets on Monday to examine fraud claims.

Click here to see a regional breakdown of the official results

A majority of MPs also passed a vote of no-confidence in the country's Central Election Commission.

Dutch Foreign Minister Ben Bot - speaking for the European Union - said the "ideal outcome" would be to hold new elections before the end of the year.

The EU's foreign policy chief, Javier Solana, who has been taking part in mediation efforts in Kiev, has described last Sunday's vote as fraudulent, adding that relations with Ukraine depend on a democratic resolution.

Meanwhile Russian media quoted Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Yakovenko as saying that Moscow would oppose neither a recount nor a re-run of the election.

Russia did not interfere in the internal affairs of sovereign countries, he added.

There has been no word from the man declared winner of the election, Viktor Yanukovych.

Talks

Mr Yushchenko has called on his supporters, who have held massive protests in Kiev all week, to stay on the streets until they achieve "victory".

Rival protests have been staged in the eastern city of Donetsk by supporters of Mr Yanukovych.

Talks are also expected to continue between representatives of the two sides.

Mr Yushchenko has promised direct action by his supporters if a solution is not found to the crisis within days.

He wants a repeat vote to be held on 12 December, under the supervision of the Organisation of Security and Co-operation in Europe.

Mr Yanukovych has accused the opposition, which has been blocking access to government buildings, of attempting to stage a coup.

According to the official election result, the pro-Russian Mr Yanukovych won with 49.46% of the vote against Mr Yushchenko's 46.61%

The supreme court suspended the presidential poll result on Thursday to consider the opposition's complaints.