Politicians taking measures to give Tymoshenko treatment abroad

German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle met with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Leonid Kozhara on July 2 to discuss medical treatment of former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, as well as reforms needed for the Ukraine-EU Association Agreement. The same day, independent MP Serhiy Mishchenko submitted a bill to parliament on July 2 that would provide the legal basis for allowing Tymoshenko to receive medical treatment abroad.

Karl Max Einhauple, board chairman of the Charite clinic in Berlin, confirmed with the Kommersant-Ukrayina newspaper in a July 2 article that Tymoshenko’s medical condition significantly deteriorated last week and she requires operating, which could be done at his institution. Yevgenia Tymoshenko, the politician’s daughter, reported the Charite doctors cited a hernia as the source of recurring spinal pain.

Tymoshenko’s attorney Serhiy Vlasenko said he may file a complaint with the European Court of Human Rights if the issue of her treatment isn’t resolved.

Zenon Zawada: Mishchenko submitted his bill independent of the ruling Party of Regions, which didn’t offer its support, as reported by Kommersant-Ukrayina. Yet the evaluations made by German doctors have added to unprecedented pressure being placed on the administration of President Viktor Yanukovych to arrive at a decision.

We believe the Yanukovych administration is willing to allow Tymoshenko to get treatment abroad but is more concerned about her fate once treatment concludes. In particular it is trying to gain agreement from the EU leadership on measures that will ensure Tymoshenko is not a factor in the 2015 presidential elections, whether she remains abroad or in prison. We believe it’s still a 50/50 likelihood that Tymoshenko is released for medical treatment.