18 October 2011
President Viktor Yanukovych told journalists from publications such as Bloomberg, Wall Street Journal and the New York Times yesterday, in a meeting, that the courts should decide the fate of former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, who was convicted last week for her role in negotiating a 2009 gas contract to seven years in prison. Yanukovych said that he made no commitments to Western diplomats to review legal changes and that he felt the West “did not want to listen” to his claims that he did not interfere with the courts. In regards to his planned trip to Brussels on Thursday to talk with EU officials about an Association Agreement the government hopes to sign in December that the EU has hinted might be cancelled after the Tymoshenko conviction, Yanukovych said he was not asking for any favors. The Ukrainian president also hinted that Association Agreement talks could be postponed until Europe was “ready” to resume cooperation. Brad Wells: Yanukovych’s responses yesterday confirm the view that the Ukrainian government is not planning to give up any ground on Tymoshenko and might even be willing to sacrifice the Association Agreement and embedded Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement for the time being. Ukrainian politicians seem to be betting that the EU will opt for engagement versus isolation as a means for encouraging reform in Ukraine. We believe that even if Yanukovych’s trip goes ahead on Thursday, EU concern over the Tymoshenko verdict will take center stage and that it looks increasingly unlikely a new landmark cooperation agreement will be signed this year due to the government’s unwillingness to compromise on legal cases and investigations into opposition figures.