Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich said on Friday he thought it would be possible to seal a strategic deal with the European Union after a parliamentary election next month, but EU officials said the case of Yulia Tymoshenko was still a problem. Hosting a conference, Yanukovich argued that a parliamentary election on Oct. 28 would show Ukraine’s commitment to democracy as he tried to play down the impact of the case of Tymoshenko, the country’s main opposition leader, who was jailed for seven years last year on abuse of office charges.
But an EU delegation that included Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt said after meeting Yanukovich that “the issue of selective justice” – meaning Tymoshenko’s prosecution – had to be settled before relations could move to a new level. A statement issued by the EU delegation also expressed regret that Tymoshenko and a political ally, Yuri Lutsenko, who has also been jailed, had been prevented from running in the election because of trials “which did not respect international standards”.
