Sergei Mironov, speaker of the Federation Council, criticized the current terms of Russia's accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO) late Thursday according to Prime-Tass.
The Federation Council is the Russian parliament's upper house.
"The later Russia will join the WTO, the better," he told the Echo of Moscow, a radio station.
Mironov said that under the current terms, Russia's accession to the WTO would damage the domestic agriculture, insurance and banking industries. He added that he believed Russian banks would not be able to compete successfully with foreign ones.
Mironov said, however, that it would be good for Russia to join the organization "under standard terms." He did not elaborate.
Mironov is the leader of A Just Russia, a Kremlin-friendly left-leaning party.
E.U. Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson said in June that Russia might reach a deal on joining the WTO by the end of 2008 and complete its accession before November 2009.